Past Always returns
by fanfics imperator
Summary: Peridot past is coming for her. Will it be a good or a bad thing? (Stevidot)
1. Chapter 1: The Manager

Chapter 1: The Manager

WARNING: This fanfiction has some fanon and theory events, facts and personage, plus lots of things I invented. The events starts from after "Jungle Moon". This is also a Stevidot fanfiction. So if you don't like any of these things, please don't continue, don't do useless criticism and, most important that all, THIS ISN'T PEDOPHILIA. Everybody who will write that this is pedophilia will be sent to Ahl, working in the mines. Thanks to everibody else

Planet Ahl, Gem Matrix, 4 months ago

"Why I have to always give to **her** bad news?" the young peridot mumbled to herself while she was walking trough the doors of the research center and entering the scientific officer in chief office. She hoped that **she** wasn't there, but the Manager was like usually sitting on her chair.

She was 8 feet tall with her limbs enhancers and her height made the common Era 2 peridots feel powerless, like her could destroys their gem only with a movement of her fingers. Well thinking about it, she really could do it, but that wasn't the point.

At this point she had clearly see the new arrivated.

"Why are you interrupted my reports Peridot facet 6T7E cut 8GO? It would better be important... for your own sake." she said with her usual gentle talking that could reveal an iron blade into.

"Yes, it's important, Boss. It's a message from Yellow Diamond. Should I read it?"

A little movement of the Manager's hand revealed that she could continuate the speech reporting their Diamond's message

"Our Great Diamond says that one of her peridots, affidated at your command has... that is probably a misunderstanding"

"What?"

"Our Illuminated Leader says that this Peridot, facet 2F5L cut 5XG, had stolen a Diamonds' communicator from the Moonbase on planet Earth to contact Yellow Diamond, she had tried to make suggestions about how make Earth useful without the Cluster and, when she received a direct order from her Leader in person, she diobeyed, she rebelled and called Yellow Diamond a clod"

The astonishment and after the anger had increased during the elencation of the peridot's crimes. When the peridot finished that elencation she was clearly at her limit. Seeing her manager so agitated the peridot tried to exit quietly from the room, but, when she was on the door, the Manager called for her: "Peridot?"

She turned to her slowly and said in a clearly terrified voice "Y-yes, B-Boss?"

"Prepare. My. Ship. Immediatly." she said, trying to cover the anger in her voice

"Yes, Boss. Any preferences for the crew?" said the peridot, realizing that being as zealous as possible was the best way to avoid her boss' rage.

"Quartzes. War Quarzes" the manager said with an evil smile on her lips.

The fellow peridot executed immediately. She felt pity for that poor gem.


	2. Chapter 2: Who's That Gem?

Chapter 2: Who's That Gem?

Crystal Temple, Beach City, Planet Earth, this moment

The gem-human hybrid know like Steven Universe was making himself a sandwich, when a well know Era 2 peridot enterd running trough the main door screaming "I knew it!". Before Steven could recover from the sudden entering, she was already hidding herself under the sofa. Steven gained some courage and told her "What did you know of so terrying Peri?"

"I knew that my disrespect for Yellow Diamond would be punished"

"What do you mean? We have already defeated the rubies that they have sent"

"No, they haven't sent the rubies for me. They were sent for retrieving Jasper, not me. Usually for gems responsable of high treason like me they send something like... that" she said, while she was moving Steven outside and then she pointed with her finger to a thing in the sky. That thing was a ship, certanly bigger than the ship with that Peridot had come to Earth, but smaller than a Diamond's ship, in the shape of a forearm with a hand.

"What shall we do? The gems are on a mission and, even if there were there, we weren't able to stop your ship and this is way bigger and and-" Steven was clearly panicking and Peridot had to take the lead, or they will be both doomed.

"Ok, it's clear that we won't be able to confrontate with them in a front attack, so I suggest to hide ourselves and look who is on that ship"

And they did so. They were hidden behind a rock when the ship landed. Two bulky quartzes, two onixes with halberds forewent a tall, green gem, with her gem on her chest. She was easily 8 feet tall and she had hair shaped like Peridot's and glasses that leaved uncovered her front. She weared a dark green dress, a green mantle, leggins like Peridot ones but darker and with 2 inches heels and big limbs enhancers with the diamond simble on them. When Peridot saw her, she looked shocked and she retreated behind the rock in fear.

"Who' s that gem Peridot?" said Steven.

"She's the Manager, a Era 1 Peridot who has fought in the war for Homeworld. She's part of the elite of the Homeworld society, a skilled engineer and technician, very loyal to Yellow Diamond and also my supervisor. That means that she has come here to avenge the offense I have made to her beloved leader. She will find me and she will bring me back to Homeworld for my punishment"

In the meantime the Manager had finally individuated the gem who she was searching for.

"There are two gem-based lifeform behind that rock, colonel. One is the peridot we are looking for and the scanner hadn't identified the other yet" said the Manager to an Onix next to her.

"Which one should we take?" said the Onix, clearly umiliated for taking orders from a peridot.

"Take them both. Leave no witnesses to informatte the Crystal Gem"

The order was clear. The onixes surrounded the rock, ready to catch everyone who could try to escape and the manager pointed her right limb enhacer in the cannon configuration on the rock. Then she shot revealing the peridot they were looking for and someone who everybody in the crew recognized from the "Wanted" posters, with a reward of ten milions credits for everyone who would capture her. Rose Quartz.

"After a long time I see you again, Rose. Capture them" said the Manager. The onixes quickly followed her order and in a matter of seconds Steven was beated, trasportated into the ship, separeted from Peridot and tied to an examination table.

"Very well Rose, I have been hoping for a long time to see you again. Not only for deliver you to my Diamond, but also because I'm so curious to see how can you shapeshift yourself changing colours. I'm considered an expert shapeshifter on Homeworld and I'd like to konw how can you do it" said the Manager to Steven preparing some scanners. The results was flabbergasting. It seems like Rose's body wasn't made of solid light, like a gem's body should be, but made of flesh, with organs and needs of an organic being. It seemed also that Rose's gem was dormant, giving at the body it was set into its powers, like summonig her famous shield, but the control of the body was given by the nervous sistem of the being. Clearly the creature wasn't Rose Quartz, but some sort of human carryng her gem, something like a gem-human hybrid.

"What the heck are you?"

"I'm Steven Universe, Rose Quartz's son"

The manager was familiar with that word because of her studies on the organic beings and so the shock was impressive.

"You mean that Rose Quartz has bred with a human?"

"Yes"

Stunned with this revelation the manager exited from the laboratory. That wasn't time for scientific experimentation. That was interrogation time.


	3. Chapter 3: The Interrogation

Chapter 3: The Interrogation

The Manager entered in Peridot's cellar, motivated first of all to discover more information about the rebels' forces on the Earth. They were probably a very few elite soldiers that Rose Quartz protected from the corruption wave with her shield, but she needed to know who has survived and if they found a way to heal corruption.

"Where are we?" The peridot asked with voice full of fear

"I do the questions here. If the answers fulfill my desires I may considerate the option of answer at your questions and don't shatter you only for have asked. Got it?"

The little gem nodded "What do you want to know?"

"Have the Crystal Gems found a way to heal corruption?"

"No, they haven't. Their wise solution is to hunt the corrupted gems, beat them and bubble them. Rose Quartz and then Steven tried to help them, but even their healing powers wasn't useful."

"What gems have they?"

"There are a Pearl who is skilled at fighting and building," The renegade pearl, the bodyguard of Rose, without any doubt "a permafusion of a Ruby and a Sapphire," The other member of Rose's guards, Garnet "a defective Amethyst emerged from the Kindergarten after the war, Steven, a Lapis Lazuli, when she's not scared too much of Homeworld, and me"

"Last question. What happened to the Cluster? Don't try to fool me saying that you're working on it, because I'm the responsable for the Cluster project and it would have been emerged from 3 Earth months"

"We built a drill and Steven bubbled them"

"That's impossible. No gem has the power to bubble a thing like the Cluster"

"He telepathically linked to the Cluster and he conviced the broken minds of the gems to bubble each other"

"That is... Impressive"

"Yes, it's basically what I thinked when I saw it. The other Crystal Gems always or in the most cases use brute force to solve problems, but not him."

"I know I said that the precedent was the last question," said the Manager, trying to not lose the point of the interrogation "but I have one more thing to ask you"

"I'm all ears"

"Why do you betray your planet, your race and your Diamond?"

"It's a complicated question. I think it's mostly because of Steven. He was the first to be kind with me, even when I tried to destroy all of them, when I was captured he trusted me and he freed me and he showed me how Earth was beautiful. I tried to explain this to Yellow Diamond, but she didn't understand, my report has become an argument and in rage I called her a clod. The fact that she has ignored my distress signal was just the final touch"

"Distress signal? What distress signal?" the Manager said in confusion.

"The distress signal I sent from the communication pillar on the Earth. Didn't you received it?"

"I'm sure that no message was sent by Earth since the end of the war and before your communication with Yellow Diamond. Are you sure that the pillar was working?"

"Are you joking? I'm a qualified technician. The pillar has worked as sure as I called Yellow Diamond a clod"

"Well, thanks for your answers. We're on Ahl homehow" the Manager said exiting from the room

Ahl.

The prison planet.

She was on Ahl.

The planet from where is impossible escape.

She and Steven were on Ahl.

The planet where anybody who rebelates to Homeworld is sent and then he simply disappears.

Because of her, Steven was brought on Ahl.

Steven was on Ahl and that was only her fault! She could already imagine Garnet beating her. Again.

In the same moment the Manager was wandering in the communication hub's net. As she expected that wasn't any communication from the Earth's communication hub, only statics.

"It's like that signal that the peridot said she sent was deleted" said her aide, Peridot 8GO

Deleted. How couldn't she thinked about it! thinked the Manager. And she had already the way to eventually give her the proof that her intuition was corrept

"The All-Earing Ear isn't connepted to the net, right"

"No, Boss"

"I want all the recordings. Now"

The All-Earing Ear was an incredible secret project, a device that could interceptate every trasmission in the range of 1000 light years. It was only a prototipe, but it worked very well.

She setted the origin of the communication to "Earth" and then it was. A message where a disperate Peridot was trying to get help. That din't change nothing.

"Peridot, preparate the prisoner transfer ship. Our Peridot is going to do a retutnless trip to Homeworld, if I can say a word about it."

The peridot was still looking at the message, but she immediately answered:"Yes, Boss"

"Dismissed"

Later in the cell Peridot was curled in a ball, thinking desperatelly that was all her fault, but then the door opened.

"Who are you?"

The figure who entered didn't answer. It was covered by a black cloak and it poofed her gem with a gem disruptor she held in her hand.

Holding Peridot's gem in her gem, 8GO thinked she has done her job. Then she crept in the direction of the maintenance tunnels.


	4. Chapter 4: The Syndicate

Chapter 4: The Syndicate

When Peridot reformed, she was in a dark room, with an exit that seemed like the end of a tunnel. She was thinking of entering when a voice from a corner of the room warned her.

"If I were you, I won't go in there. It's a labirint. Unless you know the way to exit, well, let's only say that a Peridot would become a Diamond before you'll find the way to exit from there"

"Where are we? I warn you: I'm pretty important in the Crystal Gems. They will come to rescue me."

"Bullshit. The "Steven" has already told us all about the Crystal Gems. You're only a war prisoner"

"Who the hell are you? Why I'm here?"

"I can answer to the first question, but you'll get the answer to the second one later. I'm Peridot facet 6T7E cut 8GO, personal aide of the Manager and the one who saved you from your fate by bringing you here from your cell"

A door opened, revealing nothing, but darkness

"It's the time"

"Time for what?"

Without answering, the other Peridot entered in the new room. Not having any choice Peridot entered too. After some seconds a light showed a little crowd of gems. She could see some peridots, a rutile, some Off-Colors and a semi-corrupted gem, that was probably a seaglass. In the center of the circle that the gem formed there was a sit with a desk, both empty.

"Who are you?"

"Leave me explain" said 8GO "I think because of the position of your matrons you don't know what the Lower Classes Syndicate is, am I right?"

"No, I don't. I heard Matron Jaundice talking about it one time, but..."

"Well, the Syndicate is an illegal association, made by the gems in the lower classes, like the comomn peridots. We help each other and we spread the idea that this society is wrong"

"That's true! I tried to by hired like a physician, but they said that I hadn't the right the qualifications required. Then they hired an amber that attended my course. She was a total disaster and she passed only because she's an amber!"

"That is totally unfair, but please, could we don't change the point of discussion? As I said, our principal focus is to mantain as good as possible the conditions of our associateds. All was going pretty well, but then a lot of restrition was made to a yet vessated caste of gems, the peridots. And why? Because this peridot" 8GO said pointing her finger on Peridot " insulted her Diamond right in the face. This court has approved to find you and impost a trial, but, because of a recent emerged evidence, this court has already judjed you..."

"Not guilty" said a Blue Zircon with a little crack in her gem who has just entered "Excuse me for being late. The Onixes patrol has done a break in my cell for beating me"

"Oh, poor..." 8GO remebered suddenly that she was in a middle of a reunion "Never mind. Sit down"

Sitting down in the empty chair that Peridot has noticed before, Zircon continue "After watching your distress signal, we realized that we have been blind. Castes like the zircons or the pink quartzes has been imprisoned or shattered because one of them rebeled. And we did nothing. A caste of loyal gems like the peridots has been repressed because a desperate one has changed coat after being imprisoned on an alien planet. And we blamed her. We blamed you. We were supposed to were the instrument with that we could overrule the sistem, but we becomed his puppet. We..."

"Bullshit" Peridot said

"What?"

"I said bullshit. Look at you. You continue to blame yourself and saying "We couldn't do anything, help us". Bullshit. I have been on Earth and from what I saw, I can tell you something. The rebellion there is nothing compared to this "Syndicate". How many gems are in?"

"I don't know. I think about 10 milion of associated, on the total population of the Gem Matrix, of over 20 milion gems. But they are mostly technician, not warriors and not dirigeants"

"Well the rebellion has less than ten lucid gems! And think about it. Who moves the spaceships that could reprime a rebellion?!"

"The technicians?"

"Yes. Who moves their superweapons?"

"The technicians."

"Who gives power to their cities, were you wouldn't ever meant to be in?"

The technicians!"

"Exactly! You are more powerful than the Crystal Gems has been, are or will ever be! You are the bottom of the social pyramid? No structure could resist without foundations."

"Yes" Somebody said.

"You are the core that moves Homeworld!"

"Yes!" This time everibody said it.

"And if you don't like it it will have to change!"

"YES!" this time the scream was a roar of happiness, rage and revolution. The gems lifted Peridot. Blue Zircon approached, a smile on her lips.

"You are right, young one. And I thinked I was the smart one. We're going to liberate your friend and you're going to return to Earth. But we're going to stay in contact" She said.


	5. Chapter 5: Escape

Chapter 5: Escape

Steven has been trasfered to a new cell. The new cell was cheked every 15 minutes and outside of the door there was 2 burly Onixes, with their weapons extracted everytime. He didn't know why they transfered him there, but that wasn't what it was thinking. He was trying to find a way to escape when he heard a little tump from the floor

"Who is there?" he whispered

"Friends" a voice said. Then a little section of the floor was lifted quietly. Steven entered silently in the hole and here he found a tunnel with a gem that he konws and Peridot.

"Wait, weren't you the Zircon that defended me at the Diamond's trial?"

"Yes, I am. As a consequence of accusing the Diamonds, they've cracked me and they inmprisoned me on this horrible planet. With that..." she said pointing at her gem

"Oh, yes" And with that he spitted on his hand and healed Zircon. Before he could say or do anything, Peridot run to him, she hugged him strong and she digged her face into him chest.

"Peridot..."

Peridot showed her face, big tears exiting from her eyes."It's all my fault, Steven. It's all my fault that the Manager came to Earth. They've kidnapped you, but they came for me. I understand if you're angry with me"

"Peridot, you don't have to be sorry" he said caressing her hair

"But..."

"They would've have come anyways. I have to be happy, instead. I was kidnapped with the gem on Earth that know more of Homeworld. You rescued me"

Zircon coughed "I have to say somethings: first, you haven't been rescued yet, you have to get out of the planet, before lowering the guard. And second, could you please stop? This is making me fell uncorfortable. And then I am the crybaby"

Peridot stood up "Y-Yes, of course. Who's going to get us to Earth? Are we going to stole a ship?"

"No, we've hired a crew with a ship that was ok about travelling with two rebels"

They walked for sometime in the tunnels and the they exited in a canyon that seemed to be desert. Unless for a ship, that was strangely familiar for Steven. He immediately realized why, when Captain Lars run to him

"Steven! The universe is little, it's not?"

"Lars!"

"When someone asked me if I was ready to trasport some highly wanted criminals, i should imaginate that this were you. And your friend is?"

"Peridot"

"Oh, yes that strange gem who lives in the barn"

"Actually, the barn flew away. Thanks to Lapis' fear of Homeworld"

"Oh. I always thinked that you two were a couple"

"What? Please, we're just friends"

Meanwhile the Manager was in her invisible fighter, following the tracker device the the "Steven" had. Obviously the peridot and her rebels friends would rescue him. How predictable. And now she won't only capture two dangerous rebels, but also Captain Lars, the rebel pirate that was threatening Homeworld's smaller fleets. She could already the glory and the promotions. She moved her hands on the trigger. And she clicked it. The machine guns powered with plasma started shooting immediatly.

On the ground Steven had barely dodged some plasma hits. Peridot hasn't been as lucky as him. She was hitted right on her neck, and she felt on the ground, stooding up immediately.

"Jump in my hair!"

"There's not time for that!"

They run in the Sun Incinerator, who immediately sailed, but when they were putting some distance between them and the invisible source of the beams, the ship was hitten.

"Captain, I predict that we will be hitten!" said Padparascha

"Thanks Pad, vey useful" said Rodonhite, panicking like usual "We're losing power. It's a matter of minutes, then we'll crush on the surface of the planet. And we haven't any technicians to fix it"

"Yes, you have" said Peridot "I can fix it, but only from the outside"

"Don't be silly Peri, they will kill you in a matter off seconds" said Steven

"I know, but it's our last chance. Lars open the hatch"

The Manager couldn't believe to her eyes. Something that looked incredibly like the peridot she was looking for was walking right on the side of the ship, careless of the beams that were around her. She was very brave, the Manager had to admit it, but in this situation that would only held to her shattering. She concentrated the fire on her, but she incredibly dodged her blow. The Manager continued shooting at her. Why she can't stay still for a dammit second? she tinked. Then she realisead what Peridot's plan was. She realised that she had made a HUGE mistake. Peridot was running in a triangle, she had triangulated her position. The dirty traitor smirked at her and then throwed her something she had taken from her gem. An EMP bomb. The power went off and the Manager's ship fell in the ground's direction.

"I'll have my revenge. In a way or in an other" said the Manager to herself before launching from the fighter.


	6. Chapter 6: Return to home,Return to Past

Chapter 6: Return to home, Return to the Past

After about half an hour Peridot entered in the ship.

"Peridot, this has been fantastic!" said Steven

"Just normal administration" she said. Then she felt to the ground, revealing several pont where the fighter weapons had hit her.

"And she could even repair the damage, after being hitten" commented Padparascha

"Don't forget she could even deactivate the ship. After all what I saw I'm wondering why Steven's friends hold her at the barn"

"What do you mean?" said Steven

"Steven, I've seen lots of things since I have been kidnapped by that Aquamarine, but Peridot's bravery... It's really impressing. And the Crystal Gems kept her at the barn"

Steven was on the point of saying something, but he had to realise that what Lars said was true"

When Peridot returned coscient, she and Steven passed through Lars' hair. They found themself on the beach house's floor before they could even realised.

"Garnet! Pearl! Steven returned!" shouted Amethyst.

"Thanks for notice me, Amethyst" said Peridot.

Pearl and Garnet exited immediately from the temple.

"Steven! What happened to you? We where so worried!" said Pearl, nearly broking one or two Steven's ribs.

"Peridot, are you involved?" said Garnet looking threateningly at the little green gem

"Well..." she said, feeling even smaller in front of the threatening fusion

"No, Garnet, she has no fault in my kidnapping"

"No Steven, it's my fault! She came for me!"

"She who?" asked Garnet

"The Manager. An Era 1 Peridot who fought in the War"

Pearl freezed. "You have met her?!" she asked to Steven

"Did you know her?"

"During the war she was the head technician of the Prime Kindergarden. Like all peridots she was clearly understimated, but she had a unsane trust in her diamond. And I don't mean Pink Diamond, her Diamond was Yellow Diamond, she was only lent to Pink. So Rose and I were really surprised when she asked us in secret to meet her. Rose and I went to the appointment and then..." Peral said, starting to project a flashback with her gem.

There was a peridot without limbs enhancers, who was probably the Manager, Rose and Pearl.

"I was starting to think that you won't come" said the peridot

"And instead we came" said Rose

"You're probably wandering why I asked you to come here"

Both Pearl and Rose nodded

"Well, sometime before now I asked for being promoted to a dirigential position. I'm a very skilled technician, but my Agate laughed in my face. You're only a puny peridot, she said. And then I realised the truth"

"You realised that the Diamond's oppressive society was holding back your true potential, am I right?" said Rose, a smile on her lips

"Of course not, are you cracked? The Diamonds can't do mistakes"

"And what did you realised then?"

"I realised that the Diamonds have too many useless gems like that Agate in important positon, and that I had to do something big to gain approvation in the Diamonds' eyes. Take them." And with that a dozen of Ametysts came out from the darkness. With that tha flashbak ended.

"Rose and I barely excaped that day and that peridot was promoted to a managerial position. She had been one of the better Homeworld's tacticians and she destroyed our armies several times. Rose hasn't ever spoken about she felt about her betrayal, but she could never trust someone like she did before"


	7. Chapter 7: Jade

Chapter 7: Jade

"No, Peridot. Let's try it again" said Pearl

Peridot was clearly frustrated, but to Pearl's displeasure, not for not doing right fighting exercises, but because she didn't saw the point on Pearl's way of fighting.

"This way to fight is useless. Fighting on Homeworld isn't more your idea of fancy duels!"

"Well if you don't like this way, I'll make you shut up your mouth. Until you will become more respectful of my way of fighting, you'll have to clean all the Temple rooms. Even Amethyst's"

"But that will take ages!"

"Not my problem"

Two hours later a grumbling Peridot was finishing to clean Pearl's room, when she saw a chest inside the water. She opened it and she saw some of her old robinoids

"Well, I'll definitely need them" she said smirking. But taking them she accidentaly popped a bubble inside the chest that she didn't saw before. The gem inside started to glow and then gained an humanoid form, who immediately retreated. She was a tall and slim gem, with green skin, a green kimono.

"-, we can talk about this!"

"Who are you?" Peridot said

"Who are you, instead? I'm General Jade"

"You're not with Homeworld, right?" said Peridot, holding her mop like a spear.

"No, of course not! What about you?"

"I was an Homeworld gem, but then I got stranded on this planet and I became a Crystal Gem. I'm Peridot, homehow" she answered offering her hand

Jade shook her hand "A Peridot, huh? At my time, peridots were technicians. Has it changed?"

"No, why?"

"If you're a technician, why are cleaning?"

"Well Pearl thought I wasn't respecting her stupid way of fighting, so..."

"Wait, wait, wait! Pearl?"

"Yes, Pearl. Do you know her?"

"Yes, we know each other. She thought that her way of fighting was the best, but..."

"It's like..."

"Trying to defeat the opponent in stupidity" they said at the same time

"So" said Jade "I always said that my fighting style was better than Pearl's. Would you like if I train you. You would show to Pearl that you are better than her!"

"That's not the point! Body to body fighting is useless with the new weapons!"

"My fighting stategy isn't only for body to body fighting. It's about using your most powerful weapon. Your mind. That's use in fight and also out. It's a life philosophy"

And they trained. All Peridot had to do was irritating Pearl and then she prepared herself for the fight. Since the day came.

"Peridot, it's the time for your training..."

"You know what Pearl? I have enough! I bet that I'll defeat you!"

"That's ridicoulous, but I'll teach you a lesson"

Some time later they were in the arena, Steven watching at them, eating popcorns.

"Promise that you won't cry much when i'll defeat you. Steven may feel sad for you" Pearl said.

Peridot didn't say anything, but she moved an hand in a clear meaning signal "Come and try"

Pearl extracted her spear. Peridot didn't do anything. Pearl jumped very high. Peridot didn't do anything. Pearl charged Peridot with all her strength. When Pearl was only a few inches from her, Peridot jumped on the spear and blocked it to the ground. Then she took a small cilinder, who had the same dimensions of a pen. When it was took away from her gem, the cilinder started to grow, becoming as tall as Peridot. Peridot pointed this staff on Pearl's gem.

"I won"

"Very good job, my apprentice" said someone who teleported there during the fight.

"J-Jade?" Pearl said

"What, surprised to see me? We've chatted only yesterday. Whoops, I'm wrong. That was six thousands of years ago and you poofed and bubbled me"

"Who is she, Pearl?" asked an astounded Steven

"I'm general Jade, Steven. Peridot already told me everything about you and I know that you aren't Rose. What a shame. I'd like to revenge on her, but..."

"And why did Pearl bubble you?"

"That's a long story. A long time ago, thousands of years before the War, I was one of the most important gems on Homeworld. One day my ex-Diamond, White Diamond, decided that three diamonds weren't enough to rule the empire. So a new Diamond was implanted in the Diamond's Kindergarten and a hundred of years later she emerged. Earlier than the predicions said. And so there was a problem, something nobody expected. Instead of being a red and of normal diamond's size, the new Diamond was pink and small. She was an off-color. Underdone. Defective. And a Diamond. For thousands of years every gem knew that Diamonds were perfect and only thinking the opposite was something impossible. But Pink Diamond was the living proof that even a Diamond can be defective. White Diamond wanted to shatter her immediately, but Yellow and Blue were fascinated by the new Diamond, they cared about her, and they put their foot down to save her. I also cared about her and I trasfered myself to the service of Pink Diamond. I became her tutor, the gem who teached her everything. But for her I was something more. She was one of the kindest gems I've ever known. She respected every kind of gem, even Pearls. For her i was a confident, a friend. Then the colonization of the Earth began. I joined the revolution of a certain Rose Quartz, because I was fascinated of organic life. I didn't want a war, but Rose started one. She was a soldier. She said lots of things about not being conditionated from Homeworld conditionating, but she wanted all and now. So she started a war, as the good soldier she were. Many gem get shattered. Rose tried to not shatter gems, but when your life is on the table is kill or being killed. I had enough. I tried to convince Rose to accept a compromise, but she was an extrremiste. It was all or nothing, for her. But I decided that all the gem who wanted to stop the war could do a treaty with Homeworld. Rose forces would be too weak without us. So I proposed the idea to Pink. She accepted and we met in a secret place to talk about the terms of the treaty. But when Pink stepped out of her palanquin, Rose exited from nowhere and shattered her with her sword. The last thing I saw of my beloved Pink was her betrayed look. She thought that I, maybe one of the gems who most cared about her, had betrayed her. And that was her last thought. I was destroyed. I escaped. I started a revolution to avenge Pink, but Pearl ambushed me and you know the rest of the story. If I can have my revenge on Rose... Peridot, shatter her."

"What?" said Peridot

"I said shatter her. She don't deserve anymore to live"

"No"

"What?"

"I said no. I can understand your point of wiew, but it isn't right to hurt others and that won't help you feel better. So no" and with that Peridot throwed away her staff

"So it's true. When you want to do a thing well" she extracted a green katana from her gem "you have to do it yourself!" Jade said charging Pearl who sayed still and seemed like offering her gem to Jade's blade

"NO!" both Peridot and Steven screamed, but as Steven was too far to actually help, Peridot pushed Pearl, saving her from the deadly blow. When Jade looked back for the next attack, she didn't saw neither Pearl or Peridot. In their place stood Calcite. The fusion had four harms and a green and black tailleur with a star on her chest. She had a visor, more rounded than Peridot's one, that covered Pearl's and Peridot's gems and four pairs of eyes. She had Pearl's pointy nose and same haircut, but the hair's color was indeed Peridot's. The fusion was staring amazed and in disbelief, looking at her two pairs of hands.

"So it's how it feels. It's... Amazing" Calcite said, before being charged by Jade "Oh, not this time!" the fusion said while she caught Jade and she throwed her on a pillar. Then Calcite unfused

"Seems like you've won. Now I suppose you will bubble me and close me in your room for the next thousands of years" Jade said

"No, Jade. Recently i understood that not everything Rose did was right and that me bubbling you was the worst thing i could you. When you charged me before, I didn't do anything, because I thought you were right! I would have supported you, like a friend is supposed to do, but I obeyed blindly to Rose. Yes we had our differences, but we trusted each other. I'm really sorry about I did, about what Rose did. What if we can forget all and be friends again" Pearl said to Jade giving her her hand. Jade looked at her smile, at Steven's and Peridot's smiles. Smiles of acceptance, like she hasn't tried to kill Pearl some minutes earlier. But she wasn't ready.

"I need time to think" and she walked to the warp pad. The last thing they could hear before Jade walked away was a muttered "Thank you"

 **A/N**

 **Excuse me if that took so much. That chapter was longer than the others and I had to study a lot in this time.**

 **If you want to see the image that I visualized when I thought of Calcite, here's the link art/Fan-Fusion-Pearl-x-Peridot-584987023**

 **I'm pretty bad at descriptions**

 **Leave your ideas about how the series would continue (I'm not running out of ideas, it's only that i'd like to have the opinions of my fans)**


	8. Chapter 8: The Revelation

Chapter 8: The Revelation

It has been a while since Jade's accident and friendship between Peridot and Pearl was born. As a result of that Peridot has had much more free time, not having training session or to clean the temple. She started a secret project in the Prime Kindergarten, of that nobody knew anything. But, since she had lots of time anyway, she started to hang out wih Steven. It was an August evening and Steven and Peridot and Steven was looking at the sunset on a cliff. Peridot had planned to reveal to Steven her feelings for him. But often things doesn't go as planned.

"Isn't sunset beautiful, Peri?"

"It is, Steven. I'd like to tell y-"

"Peri, what is that thing"

The thing was a ship, a spaceship, a lot similar to the rubies' one, except that it was blue. The ship scanned them, as the killer robonoids did. When it scanned Peridot gem, it stopped and activated a sort of tractor beam that took them inside the ship. The inside of the ship was bigger of the rubies' one. They were inside a big room with a lot of doors, all closed.

"Peri, what's happening?"

"It seems like someone has kidnapped us,but-" and then she saw a simble on the floor "Steven, I think I know who's the owner of that ship"

"Who?"

"It's-" Peridot said before being thrown away by something really fast and... blue. Peridot ended in one door, that opened, letting her in. Steven could't see her, but he could hear her screaming in despair to leave her. As he entered in the room he could saw was attacked Peridot. That was a sapphire, with a yellow diamond on her dress, long arm sleeves and her gem on her chest. A curios thing was that despite her hair covered her eye, Steven could see a yellow spark that was visible through her really dark blue, almost black, hairs, like a single star in the black space. And she wasn't hurting Peridot, she was... Was she hugging Peridot?

"Please matron, you're embarassing me!" Peridot pleaded the sapphire

"Someone could explain what's happening there?"

The sapphire stopped hugging Peridot and as she did it the spark stopped glowing. "And he is?"

"A friend, matron. Matron, he's Steven. Steven, she's Sapphire "Star", because of her eye sparkling when she have intense feelings. She's my matron"

"What's a matron?"

"I'll explain that, Peridot" said Star "in Homeworld's society some gems, expecially high class gems, has two matrons, gems who care about their training, equipment, safety and all other things. I've studied organic biology, so i can paragonate to what organics calls "mothers""

"So is Peridot a high class gem?"

"No, she's a... particular case. I and Y-"

"Matron"

"What?"

Peridot pointed with one of her fingers not in Steven's sight the star on Steven shirt.

"Oh! I almost forgot it!"

"What?" asked Steven

"Nothing important. So, Peridot you made quite a mess. How you finished becoming a Crystal Gem?"

"It's a long story"

"It will be easy with my past vision. Can you?" Star said, taking over one of her gloves

"Oh. Yes of course" Peridot said taking Star's hand

The spark glowed for a second and then she turned to Steven

"Steven Universe. I've to thank you for everything you did to help my peeble. I'm also sorry for coming so early. If I've waited some seconds, I wouldn't have ruined the moment"

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing" Peridot screamed "She means nothing! So matron, why did you get there? You didn't have an argument with matron Jaundice, haven't you?"

"I'm still in good relationship with your other matron. no, I've come here because i've made an enemy who can't be stopped by Jaundice"

"Who?"

"White Diamond"

"WHAT? How did you do?"

"I've discovered her deeper secret. But let's go with order. After you left, things became crazy. Your ex-Manager was exiled with disonour and was replaced with a Moss Agate" her voice sounded disgusted "She has been cruel to the lower classes. The Syndicate decided it had have enough. So the Peridots, the Off-Colors and everybody who has been mistreated by Moss Agate rebeled and overthrowned the guards. They took control of Ahl and freed the dissidents prisoner in the jail. Yellow Diamond was ready to deal with the rebels. But White Diamond had another plans. She hid obsidians, the most elite class of assassins, in Yellow's delegation's ship. They took prisoner or shattered every dirigent gem of the Syndicate and, in the same moment, warships shattered countless gems on Ahl, using barrage fire on the crowd. It was a scrapsbathe. White then took serious decisions against all the classes the rebels came from. Then she purged every gem who simpatized with the rebels or only treated decently the technicians. General Citrine was sent to Ahl and I wasn't sent there too thanks only to Jaundice"

"Who's Jaundice?"

"She's Peridot's matron, a very VERY important gem"

"My ex-matron" Peridot correpted Star

"Peridot, if you like it or not, she's still your matron. Ok, she might be a bit angry for being disrespectful to a diamond, but she still loves you. Anyway I had been worried for quite long since you didn't received my messages or you didn't make reports and then I asked for you to the Syndicate's managers"

"How did you know the Syndicate contacted me?"

"Well, I saw the poster with your portrait, your speech on flyers and I'm not dumb. So a peridot, cut 8GO, revealed me all the story of your signal. I asked to your matron and she didn't know anything about it. So I arranged a meeting with White Diamond"

"Whithe Diamond gave you an appointment?"

"Not exactly. I actually sneaked into her mansion"

"You actually evaded security?" questioned Steven

"My matron is more though than it seems. Now please continue, Star"

"I was saying that I tried to talk to White Diamond, but she saw and she believed that I was one of her sapphires. So she wanted me to see her future. Instead I saw her past. She erased your message and she made something horrible. She revealed to Rose Quartz were Pink Diamond would meet with a Crystal Gem for sign a peace treaty that both of them disapproved. The only condition was that Rose would have to shatter Pink Diamond. When Rose asked why White said that she would have shattered that "flawned abomination" long before, if it wasn't for Bue and Yellow. Then I was discovered, I took my shuttle and I came here"

Steven and Peridot was shocked "We have to tell the others"


	9. Chapter 9:Meeting and Telling

Chapter 9: Meeting and Telling

 **A/N Since I watched "A Single Pale Rose" only after posting Chapter 8, I didn't know that Rose was Pink Diamond, but, looking at my chapters, I've seen that I can actually throw it in the plot. Every chapter before Chapter 8, Chapter 8 not included, it's before of "Can't Go Back". Enjoy**

Pearl and Amethyst were just wandering around in the house, waiting for Peridot and Steven to return back and they were really surprised because of Star

"S-Steven, who is she?" asked Pearl

"I'm Peridot's matron" Star gived a cutting look to both Pearl and Amethyst and then continued "I'm happy how you two treated my peeble"

"I thought that only high class gem have matron" said Pearl

"As I said to Steven, my peeble is a different case"

"And why's she here?" asked Amethyst

"Because she discovered that White Diamond attempted to convince Rose to shatter Pink Diamond" said Steven

While Pearl and Amethyst were shocked by the fact, Star and Peridot were s by the word he used

"Attempted? And with her actual death how we can put it?"

Steven slapped his forehead "Oh, right I forgot to tell you both. Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond alter ego and she faked her death with Pearl's help"

This time Peridot and Star were the shocked ones "Tht means that you're a DIAMOND?" asked Peridot, before quickly doing the Diamond's salute and rapidly undoing it "Sorry. Force of habit". Then she muttered under her breath, so Steven couldn't hear her "Great. I don't stand a chance. Simply great". Star was with her mouth wide opened "So it's her fault"

"What?"

"My hair could be on my eye, but I'm not blind. I saw how Blue and Yellow were destroyed and in perpetual grieving about Pink death. That never happened. I know gems which paramour was caught in the corruption attack, launched to revenge Pink's death. That never happened. She started a war when she could just apply her reforms and don't destroy Hearth as a Diamond. But because of her countless gems were shattered or corrupted"

"Well, seems like we found someone who's of the same opinion of Garnet" said Amethyst.

Peridot freezed, reminding something "M-matron. Could you go out for a second?"

"If you desire" Star exited from the front door

"What is Peri?"

"I almost forgot one thing that could make our convivence with Star, and specially Garnet one, very, **very** difficult"

"What?"

"She 's fusionphbic. That means that she's scared of fusions and being fused in general. Don't think bad of her. She lived some traumatic events that left her desrupted. She emerged a second before an earthquake destroyed all the sapphires who weren't emerged yet, which means her whole batch. Steven, you have to know that the gems who aren't emerged in the last decades before emerging actually know each other presence. They can talk to each other, make friends, alliances, enemies. And in a second they were all dead. Except for her. She was destroyed. Then her luck turned even worse. An agate found her. She liked fusion, but she was crazy. Since everyone thought that no sapphire survived, she took her. Star became her slave, her secret pearl, with any offense to you Pearl, her **fusion toy**. No one could blame her for hate fusion for living like this even for only one year, but her life has been like this for **five thousands of years**. Then someone helped her. A peridot, a gem that usually a sapphire would not use even to wash her gown. They planned to escape and report that Star's been abuse. She was the first gem to treat her well and my matron kinda fell in love with her. Then happened something my matron regretted for her entire life. The peridot asked her "You're a sapphire. How will the plan go?". There was a 95 % possibility of them actually escape with success. So she said to her lover "We'll surely escape". The Agate discovered them stoling an escape pod. The peridot sacrified herself, allowing Star to escape. The last thing of her paramour that she saw was she being shattered. That day she promised to never use her future vision again, because it only has hurted people and it hasn't predicted the earthquake, the agate and the shattering of her lover. If she meets Garnet, she might overreact a bit"

"What could a lone sapphire do?"

"She has been trained to defend herself from Jasper and she always brings with her a destabilizer. Where's Garnet anyways?"

"When she found out that Rose was Pink Diamond she unfused and Sapphire ran away. Ruby is actually searching for her"

"In this situation for them and everyone that they are unfused"

Poor Peridot. She didn't know how much she was wrong


	10. Chapter 10: Fusion's Problem

Chapter 10: Fusion's Problem

Star was staring at the ocean. She has found beautiful. She only saw a thing like that once, when her paramour brought her on a planet who has just been colonized. Jaundice. Jaundice hasn't been the best paramour possible, everybody on Homeworld knew about her relationship, but she helped her, she respected her situation with fusion and she took care of Peridot. Star should have told her about what she discovered. But instead she run away. She feared that she would have believed more to White Diamond's lies than to her. But now she had the proof that Pink Diamond was still alive, Jaundice would listen to her. And when she would know what White tried to do with Pink... let's only say that White would have a bad time.

While Star was thinking like that, a little red gem approached to her. "Hi, Sapphire" greeted Ruby.

Star didn't even turn for greet her, but simply replied an "Hi"

"So, are you still angry about the fact that Rose was Pink Diamond?"

"I'm not angry, only... disappointed"

"I see you point of view and you're right, she would have told it to us. But, can wwe talk about it together?"

"I don't know what are you talking about"

"Oh, come on! You know! Let's fuse!"

Star flinched horrified and she stumbled on her gown. Ruby jumped to catch her and their forms glowed, revealing after a second Garnet. But not like the usual Garnet, more like the first time Ruby and Sapphire fused. The fusion glared at her hands, then realizing what had just happened, putted her hands in her hairs and shouted of fear, before unfusing almost immediately, leaving a confused Ruby and a terrified Star on the sand. Star run in the beach house's direction, only to stumble into Sapphire

"Who are you?" Sapphire asked

Normally Star was an equilibrated gem, a smooth talker and someone who prefer talking or reasoning to violence, but in those moments the awakened ancient trauma has hijacked her body, make her mind only whatching what was happening. The blue gem rapidly exctracted her gem destabilizer and stabbed it Sapphire with it in her chest. Sapphire's form glowed and then she poofed. Star catched Sapphire's gem and then did the same action with Ruby that was approaching. She, realizing what has done, then throwed the two gems in the sea and run in the beach house


	11. Chapter 11: Explanations

Chapter 11: Explanations

Star bursted in the room, almost slashing the door

"Peridot! Take your things! We gotta go!"

"W-what? You've just arrived!"

"No time for explain!"

"Why have you your destabilizer extracted, matron?"

Star looked down at the destabilizer, muttered some curses in gemmish and then reply "I can explain"

"On who did you utilized that?" asked Steven

"On the ruby and on the sapphire"

"What!? Why did something like this?"

"The ruby fused with me and then I lost my mind. So, yes I poofed them both. And, seeing what they have done to my peeble, I don't regret anything"

"And what have they done? You aren't only angry because they tried to fuse with me, aren't you?". He has saved you from Garnet  
"NO! Well just a bit for that, but the main thing it's that-"

Star's sentence was stopped because of one of Garnet's rocket firsts that hit her in the face. Star took some damage but she didn't poofed and extracted her destabilizer and she prepared for Garnet's next attack. The others were only whatching, while Satr dodged every Garnet's attack. Amethyst even shared with an astonished Steven some popcorns.

"It's everything you've got, fusion? I'm not even using my future vision"

"Well, if you knew how to use it, you wouldn't lose that technician"  
"DON'T YOU DARE TO EVEN TALK ABOUT 3XF! SHE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF YOU. I SUFFERED BECAUSE OF YOU. YOU ARE THE REASON BECAUSE SHE TOOK ME. BECAUSE SHE SAW YOU"

"But she died because of you"

"Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP!" said Star, launching herself on the fusion. Garnet easily catched her and began to knock her to the ground. Once. Twice. Three times.

"Garnet! Stop!" said Steven, blocking her. Star took advantage of the distracted fusion, caught Peridot by her arm and run away. She stopped only when they were in the ship, parked on the cliff behind the Temple. She closed the door immediately and she began to fumble with the ship's joystick.

"What are you doing, matron?!"

"I'm taking my peeble away from this planet. You aren't safe here!"

"I'm safe here! Steven would never allow to Homeworld to kidnap me! He really cares about everybody. Don't forget that he has saved you from Garnet!"

"I'm not questioning the Steven's will to protect you. But he couldn't protect from the fusion" she uttered the word like it was a blasphemy

"Oh, come on! Only because she wanted to show me fusion that doesn't allow you like it's some sort of psychopath"

"Not even if she utilised her powers to make your life impossible?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Have you never had everything you built or everything you attempted to do going wrong too much frequently? Something like someone sabotage everything?"

"Well, lots of times, since sometime. Why?"

"Because some Sapphires can develop the power of probability with training, like Sapphire facet 2D8H cut 1SJ discovered"

"W-What does it means?" asked Peridot, starting to understand what her matron wanted to tell her

"It means that that couple of maniacs are manipulating the future. And, for now, they're doing it only because they can. When I saw it in the Ruby's memory, let's only say that not shattering both of them took all my self control" The ship's engine started "Now nothing of this matters. We're leaving"

"WAIT!"

"What?"

"We can't leave"

"Why? If you forgot someyhing we can simply buy something on Homeworld when we'll be redeemed"

"One, if White has a word about it, and she has, that will never happen. Two, we can't leave also because here I've got friends and... I have the same feelings you had for 3XF, towards Steven."

Star put her hands on her mouth "You're in love? What about General Citrine?"

"She's a wise gem and I hope she'll understand my reasons and that we'll remain friends, but I love Steven"

"You know that he's a Diamond, right? Well for an half, but a Diamond!"

"He's never treated someone differently only because of the caste. One of the reasons of my feelings"

"I'm so happy for you! It's wonderful to find love. But what are we going to do with the fusion?"

"I've already an half idea"

Garnet was alone, searching for the two Homeworld's gem and she was wondering where would she put Star's gem. Maybe in a bubble above the periferical lava pit?

"Hi, Sapphi cut 1SJ"

Garnet turned and saw the couple of gems she was searching for

Peridot continued "You know, I really admired you most of all the Crystal Gems. But after I learned what you did..."

"It would be a shame if the others discover what you did"

"What do you want to keep your mouths shut?"

"Never do it again and we'll shut up. We also want stay there. Deal?"

"Deal" said Garnet. That didn't matter. She would find another way. And now she was just more determined


	12. Chapter 12: Doctors

Chapter 12: Doctors

Priyanka Maheswaran was already upset that morning. She was nearly late for work because her husband had a flu and she had to take Connie to her sword training. While she was driving her car towards the hospital she saw a green sphere with legs with inside that green child, Peridot, that was her name her daughter said, that was gcoming from the direction of hospital. When she entered in the hall she saw the hospital's director Alekseij Valsilovsky coming towards her. That usually meant bad news.

"Hi, Priyanka"

"Alex" replied Priyanka, with a weight on her heart. They couldn't fire her for being 30 seconds late, couldn't they?

"I know that you don't have appointments this morning and, considering that we don't have this many patients lately I tought that you could help me with something"

"With what?" Pryianka asked, the weight on her chest already fading

"I need you to introduce to the structure the new psichologist. She's new to the U.S.A., she's like the better psychologist in her country, with a powerful wife, she was raped when she was a children and she will accept the poor salary that we offer. All reasons that make you obligated to be **kinder** than usual. Give her a chocolate bar"

Priyanka groaned for the usual horrible pun

"Come on! You're smiling"

"I know. And I hate it. Homewever I'm always kind"

"With no offense, Pr, but you have the same kindness and grace in interpersonal offense of an heavy Panzer. I've registered your attitude and I respect it. But the hospital really need a new psichologist. And if you make her go away..." the ex-officer of the KGB left the sentence voluntarily incomplete. Priyanka gulped slowly

"Kinder than usual. Got it. What's her name anyway?"

"Sapphire. Star Sapphire"

The new psichologist was a gem. Priyanka had already realised it even before entering in the room were Star was. When she entered in the room she realized something else. That gem was definitely not one of Steven's tutors. She had a blue dress with yellow diamonds on it, deep blue hairs that covered her eyes. She was drinking something from a blue glass mug with an yellow diamond on it and a little green sphere on floating legs was near her gown.

"Hello" Priyanka greeted her. The blue gem turned heels and for a second Pryanka could saw an yellow spark from beyond her deep blue hairs

"You surprised me. On Homeworld they say that "If you surprise a Sapphire, she's defective or she is Star". Obviously they say it only when Jaundice couldn't hear"

"And why do they say such a thing?"

"Oh, right, you don't know anything about gems. Sapphires like me can predict the future by probabilities. Defective ones cannot do such a thing and I... make a promise to miself long time ago. So I decided to become a psichologist for being useful and with the help of my... wife I managed to become one"

"Well, I know something about Homeworld. My daughter is a friend of Steven Universe, one of the... Glass Jewels?"

"Crystal Gems. Well I could tell you things that they don't know"

So for the next hours Star told to Priyanka the basics about gems' society and then Priyanka discovered that the green gem she saw before was Star's daughter, who had just dropped her to the hospital when Priyanka saw her

"I would have drove myself, but she claims to have more experience with the pod and she really doesn't like when others use her things. Do you want to see any of her photos?" Star said pulling something like an album from her gem

"Of course!" replied Priyanka, who liked more the blue gem minute after minute

"That is she when Jaundice and I adopted her" there was an image of a cute little version of Peridot held by a smiling Star and an equally smiling tall yellow gem, who must were Jaundice

..."And there is she before her first mission. It was her first time being without me for more than one Homeworld's day, which is equivalent of 48 heart's hours."

"And how much was she old?"

"We gems don't judge gems by their age, but she was 13 Homeworld's years, equivalent to 13 Earth's years. It was one year ago."

Priyanka was going to replicate about how irresponsible was leaving a child alone at that age, but then she considered three things. One: Star was visibly concerned about Peridot's sake. Two: she couldn't judge others, because she too left her daugther to Pearl for training God knows where. Three: she would have her first appointment in ten minutes and she hadn't showed Star anything.

"Don't worry about the time. I already have the entire blueprints of the building in my personal robinoid. I loved having this conversation with you" Star reassured her "I hope we'll repeat this conversation as soon as possible"


	13. Chapter 13: Loyalty

Chapter 13: Loyalty

Connie was talking with Steven, when she saw her mother approaching, chatting with someone really small and... blue?

"Mom?"

"Connie, let me introduce to you some new friend of mine. She's Star, Peridot's mother"

"I didn't know that gem had parents"

"Apparently we have and-"

"Matron!" Peridot greeted Star "How was your first day?"

"Good, this human gave me plenty of conversation and I even had my first patients. Nothing serious like Yellow and Blue Diamond, anyway"

"You were Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond psichologist?" asked Steven

"Of course! Only the best for the Diamonds! And, from an objective point of view, I'm the best psichologist since the creator of psichology. Oh, wait, that's me. However, how it's your project doing Peridot?"

"I'm at a deadpoint. The equipment I need for the lif- I mean for my project has been severely damaged by time and the Crystal Gems. And if that weren't enough, the equipment has to be redesigned too. I could do that, but it would take a lot of effort."

"Why don't you use a chrysoprase?"

"Well, all the gem that were on Earth at the time of the rebellion has been corrupted, so..."

"You know that your matron manage kindergartens, don't know? One of the duties of a kindergartener is to know everything about gems. Don't blame yourself. The datas about corruption is top secret. I only know that because your matron leaves always her files opened. Corrupted chrysoprases have enough cleverness to perform tasks"

"Maybe we could have one of them stored. How they looks like?" asked Steven

"Normaly they're very mall and when corrupted they look like this" Star said projecting something with her gem.

"The Geode Beetles of Heaven and Earth"

"W-who?" Star looked slightly shocked

"Who they are matron?"

"The Geodes of Heaven and Earth were the two better scientist Pink Diamond has ever had. If someone can be lucid while corrupted, they are that someone"

"Well, let's ask Pearl for it!" said Steven

"Not you, young lady" said Priyanka "It's long past your bedtime"

Connie followed her muttering something under her breath and when her and her mother were in the car she launched a sharp look to Star, who was waving Priyanka and probably hadn't seen her daughter. But Priyanka had.

"What was with that look, young lady?"

"I just can't stand that gem"

"Why? She's a good mother and a good doctor"

"It doesn't mean anything. She's still loyal to the diamonds! They're the enemy! They tried to destroy the Earth!"

"You can't judge others without knowing them. They've done terrible things, it's true, but they were just shocked about the death of their daughter!"

"But-"

"No buts, young lady. End of the argument"

Connie shut up. But that wasn't the end, she thought, clicking Pearl's name on her meaasge app. That was just the beginning


	14. Chapter 14: Homeworld's Break-ing

Chapter 14: Homeworld's **Break** -ing

Homeworld, Blue's Palace

Blue knew that something was wrong since her pearl said that a gem wanted to see her. Yellow's Pearl.

"Where's your Diamond?"

"I-I'm here for that, my Diamond. She needs your help"

Blue raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?"

"You can see what I mean by yourself, my Diamond. She's... It's a mess"

Blue was curious, so she followed the worried pearl towards the warp pad. In no time they were at Yellow's Palace. Then Blue noticed something weird. War quartzes were everywhere. Being Yellow the commander in chief of Homeworld's army that wouldn't be so strange, but they were White's quartzes. Weren't they all fighting in the war in sector 22G4?

"What's with all these White's quartzes?"

"It's part of the problem. After the Ahl rebellion White said that My Lustrous Diamond was endangered cause of possible revenges of the rebels on her and took her gems here for "Yellow's own sake" she said. The truth is that we are under house arrest. White took Yellow place in control of the all armies. Even yours, my Diamond"

"And Yellow?"

"She's in that room" said the pearl, pointing at a door. What Blue fond in that room was flabbergasting. Yellow was on a small throne. Her helmet was on the floor and her yellow hair was free. Yellow's head was in her hands and... Was she crying? losing her purpose was sure an hard blow, but was it enough to break the image of perfect leader that she built up after Pink's shattering? Blue highly doubted of that

"Y-Yellow?"

Yellow raised her head and after millenias blue saw a tear in her eye "Blue?"

"What's happening, Yellow?"

"It's her, Blue. S-she left

* * *

Ahl, Main Hangar

Emerald was wandering in the tunnels. White Diamond had been really clear. Another failure in wiping out Captain Lars and... She wouldn't even think which her fate would be. What could she do? What could she do? What coul-

"Psst"

Emerald looked around, flabbergasted. There seemed to be nobody around. That must have been her imagination

"Psst! You! Over there!"

That time she couldn't have imaginated it "Who are you? Where are you?"

"I'm over there" said a figure covered with a really dark green cloak "I think that I can help with your small problem"

"I've no problem"

"I'm not referring at thinking loud, but that is still a problem. Of course if you're an actor, it's not, but you're not, Admiral Emerald, or am I not?"

"You've got a point. How could you help me?"

"Let's only say that bringing Rose Quartz to the Diamonds would be enough to cover us in honours forever. I only ask you for two things. One: I want the superweapon i was working on and all my experiments. Especially Experiment M3NT4L. And a ship. My experimantal ship. Two: I want my old rank restored when I'll bring Rose Quartz here"

"And How do you think you can capture her?"

"Let's only say that I have a personal motivation to destroy a Crystal Gem in particular and make that little shapeshifted runt pay" said the Manager, exiting from emerging from the darkness

* * *

Somewhere, Outer Space

Darker. Darker. Yet Darker.

It was all Black life was now. It was becoming everyday stronger. The effort of pulling himself back together had left him too weak. At the beginning It was easy to block, but every time he chained him, It only came back stronger. And that strange duel lasted for millenias. A duel that he couldn't win. He could only gain time. Time. Time that could be used by White or Grey to remember of him. To help him. Butit was too late. He could feel it, when the creature attacked. No, creature was a wrong word. A creature is something that had been created. It simply existed.

"I'm sorry" Black Diamond thought, when the chains blocked the beast "Seems like you two were right, Doesn't it?" and the chains broke. The being jumped at the mental projection of the forgotten diamond.

"I'm sorry" Black Diamond thought when the beast blocked him with pure black limbs "I couldn't make it, Red"

Outside Black Diamond mind, his body got up. But he wasn't the one in control. The Darkness looked around, only to find itself in an asteroid field.

"It's over isn't it Black?" the Darkness said to herself

 _Please don't hurt them_

"I'm not going to hurt anyone for now, Black. Indeed, the journey for Homeworld is very long."


	15. Chapter 15: Old Place, New Life

Chapter 15: Old Place, New Life

It was a quiet Saturday in Beach City. Steven was enjoying some fry bits on the boardwalk when his phone ringed.

"Hello? There's Steven. Who's there?"

"Hi Steven! It's Peridot! How are you?"

"Like usual Peri. And you?"

"Well, I've just finished the top secret project I've been working on and I said to myself "Wow Peridot! It's amazing!" "Thanks, Peridot, it was nothing thanks to my uncomparable skills" "Do you know who else would like it?" "Who?" "Steven, of course!" And so I called you and… I got lost in words, right?"

Steven chuckled a bit "Yes, you have"

"Oh, my stars! Guess what I was trying to say is… Would do you like to come and see what I've been working on?"

"Of course! I've been thrilled about your "top secret project" for a while! Can I take the gems and Connie too?"

Peridot thought about it and then answered "Of course Steven!"

"Cool Peridot! See ya at the the temple!"

"Fine Steven, but I don't get why I should cool. I'm at my optimal body temperature"

"Guess we should talk about human way of expression. Bye!"

"Bye!"

Steven called Connie and told her to come to the temple, he waited for her and then they walked towards the beach house. When they were on the point of opening the door, they heard Peridot yelling at someone inside the house.

"-for the last time, NO! I'm not going to mak-" The green gem suddenly interrupted yelling to Garnet and greeted Steven "Oh, hi Steven!"

"Hi Peri! Why were you-" His sentence was suddenly interrupted when Pearl exited from the temple, talking to Amethyst

"Are you sure you haven't seen them?"

"For the last time Pearl. I don't have them!"

"But then who- Oh, hi Steven"

"Well, seems like we're all here. I've come here to show you what I've been doing in the ex-Prime Kindergarten"

"What?" asked Pearl

"Follow me on the warp pad and you'll see"

When they all were on the warp pad Peridot activated it

"Brace yourself for-" her sentence was cut off by the warping "- The Prime Kinder **garden**!"

The sight was something incredible. It was totally different from the one Steven was used to. The Gem Injectors have been activated and modificated. The crystal on the top of each one was no more red, but green. Half of them was injecting something into the walls and closing the exit holes with some sort of goo and the other half was taking care of the gardens. Yes, gardens, you heard well. Somehow on the top of the canyons, huge trees of every kind and shape grew. Lianas connected different walls.

"Without words, huh?"

"But how did you make it?" asked Pearl

"It was nothing! I only made the injectors put into the ground what a gem's creation consume, and then I modified the DNA of some kind of organic life to made the process automatic"

"And what's the use of this giant wasting of time and resources?" asked Garnet

"I know that my work can look useless to an utterly clod like you, but let only say that, by my calculations, with this methodic the Prime Kindergarden will be restored before of 3 years by now. Praise me, praise me"

Steven looked at her, star in his eyes "That's amazing, 'Dot! I'm so proud of you!"

"It's truly great Peridot, but I meant **how** did you **materially** did it. The Beatles of Heaven and of Hearth are not capable of such hard work and even with your metallokinesis you're pretty..."

"Weak? I know. That's why I used the robinoids that were in your room"

"WHAT? You stole the robinoids?"

"No, I didn't. I couldn't steal them, because they were already mine. I was simply taking back my properties"

"But-"

"Master Peridot!" A robinoid runned towards them. This robinoid was different from the others. It was smaller than a Plug robinoid, but bigger than a Flask, it had a lighter green upside down triangular screen shaped like Peridot's gem on it, a green builder hat and two small metallic claws floating around it "What's that?" asked Connie

"He's Commodore Norton, an AI created by me using the central computer of the kindergarten and what survived of my ship's one. He's capable of interacting with the outside of his processors using this custom made robinoid. It was something I began to project back on Homeworld"

"And thanks to your great job I work perfectly, master. By the way I came here to inform you that subject J1 has leaved and subject J2 is in her quarters"

"Perfect Norton, like programmed. I have some experiments to attend to. Would you like to show them around?"

"It would be my pleasure, master"

"Excellent. Norton here will be your guide." Then she remembered something "Oh, right, Norton..."

"Master?"

"Unlock/input/classified/absign/level1/StevenUniverse/Gem/PinkDiamond/Lock"

Norton freezed for a second and then returned normal. Peridot hopped on a Plug robinoid modified with a seat that was waiting for her and went away

"What was that?" asked Connie

"Programmation line. Now Steven has a level 1 access to classified informations. It's the second higher level, after level 0, which is my master's level"

"So, who are J1 and J2?"

"Classified and labeled under level 0. I'm unable to provide such an information. I'm sorry. What would you like to see?"

* * *

That Evening

"-and this is the access of the underground level"

"Isn't this the same place were Peridot was experimenting on the clusters?"

"Yes, but probably you won't recognize it. My master and I have renovated it and it's more abitable now, thanks to our good taste in furnishing"

They entered in the hole, but, instead of the long, plain surface that there were before, there was a mobile platform and some marble stairs. On the bottom an enourmous room greeted them. There were furnishings of every kind and even a bed, robinoids that cleaned the green marble floor, a kitchen for some reasons, a door with a tally that said "Bathroom", another with "Guests' Room" on it and even a statue of Peridot with a little robinoid in her hand made with some kind of green, tranlucent stone. There was still the energy source in the bottom of the room, but it have been repaired and it probably was the one powering th lights and everything in the Kindergarden, and under it an iron door from which Peridot exited some seconds later.

"Pretty good, huh?"

"It's HUGE" Amethyst commented

"Well, let's only say that I sleep better there than in your bathroom" she answered. Then she said that Norton had made an exclamative point on his triangular screen "Yes, Norton?"

"Master Peridot, my atmospheric probes can sense that an hurricane is heading in the Kindergarden's direction. If the hurricane hit the Kindergarden… well let's only say that we'll have to rebuild pretty much everything"

"Well, the energetic shield is completated, isn't it? Make it operative, it would be a nice test for it"

"We have to considerate that when the energetic shield is up, since the extern antennas haven't been built yet, every connession with the outside world will be cut off. Even the warp pad"

"Well, if it's not a problem for our guests, they might stay with us in the guests' rooms. It's not a problem, right?"

"Sure we can stay, right guys?"

"Why not?" said Amethyst

"Ok, we'll stay" Garnet told

"I've nothing else to do" Pearl commented

"My mother won't be angry for this, since tomorrow there isn't school" Connie ended

"After all, what's the worst that could happen?" said Peridot

But one person in that room knew what the worst that could happen for Peridot was. And she was sure that it would become truth, if she had something to say about.

 **A/N Hi everybody! Fanfics Imperator out there! I may have some problems to post regularly for the month of August and July and so I'll just leave you teorize over this cliffhanger until September! Hurray! (The crowd boos and hisses) Don't try to kill me, c'mon! It's not like the show doesn't do this pretty much often these times. But now, it's your turn! I'll listen to every private message for all the month of August and July and I may put them in the story if they aren't too radical (every message that suggest Steven's death won't be answered) or too crazy. Said that, see ya at September! Hey! Who threw that tomato?**


	16. Chapter 16:Smile and Wave

Chapter 16: Smile and Wave

Blue Diamond was thinking about what she had seen in Yellow's palace. Yellow was destroyed mentally and pratically was held prisoner. She felt different emotions. Fear, White could do what she did to Yellow to her with a snap of her fingers. Sorrow, she didn't like seeing Yellow like that, she was always the strong one. And something she didn't felt in ages. Hate. She couldn't believe that White would do such a thing to Yellow. And so she decided to do something about it.

"Pearl?"

"Yes, My Diamond?" her pearl answered, making the diamond salute

"I need you to prepare my palanquin"

"Yes, My Diamond"

Blue began to think. About the trial. About how that zircon accused a diamond to have helped in Pink's shattering. It has been… offensive. Thinking that a diamond would help in something like that… Then something emerged in her memory. It was the day after Pink's emersion. White, Yellow and her were talking about her.

"Why did you called us for this meeting?" Blue asked

"It's about… Pink" White answered "I don't think she should be included in the Authority"

"WHAT?" Yellow and Blue screamed together

"This is out of discussion" Yellow cut short "She's a diamond, just like us. She has to be"

"But she's…"

"She's what?"

"She's an off-color" White screamed "She is defective, overcooked, she will never develop powers. If she take place in the Authority, other gems will start to say that a defective diamond is considered like a normal diamond, a defective apatite should be considered like a normal apatite! The status quo will be destroyed! And we can't look weak, not if the Serpentine Empire is still looking for revenge! All the near organic civilizations will team up and-"

"You are suggesting Pink's shattering" said Blue, in a blank tone

"Well, it can be understood like that, but-"

"YOU ARE SUGGESTING MY OWN DAUGHTER'S SHATTERING?" Blue yelled, her pathokinesis making the walls tremble "BECAUSE IF YOU FANTASIZE ABOUT IT EVEN FOR A FRACTION OF SECOND, I'LL SHATTER YOU WITH MY OWN, BARE HANDS!"

After that White Diamond never brought up the topic and it faded away from Blue's memory. But she remember the look in White's eyes when the argument finished. A death glare that said "This topic doesn't end here".

"My Diamond?" her pearl said, waking her up from her thoughts. Strange. Her pearl knew that she didn't like being interrupted when she was thinking

"Yes?"

"The palanquin is ready"

"Good. Follow me"

They entered in the palanquin. Blue pressed a secret button and the palanquin activated a dissimulation shield that made it invisible. That Apatite that built her new palanquin had done a wonderful work. She liked her. And that little off-colored Lapis? She reminded her of Pink. She has found her more than a time envying that Apatite for being the matron of such a wonderful being. She actually had a Lapis Lazuli as a daughter, but she disappeared in the war, just like Pink. She woke up from those thoughts when they were outside of White's Palace.

"Pearl, I need to ask you something"

"My Diamond?"

Blue gave her a little device "If you see White entering the palace or simply approaching, press the button on it"

"Yes My Diamond"

Blue then did something that she never thought she would do. She shrinked herself, until she was barely taller than her Pearl and took the sembiances of an Holly Blue Agate. She snook out of the palanquin and started to walk towards the palace doors. The guards let her pass and when she was in the inside, she moved towards the archives. It was a dark room, full of locked shelves. She opened one with her bare hands and opened a book from the inside. It seemed to be some kind of order to delete the distress signal of a Peridot. She put it away. Then she saw it. An enormous shelf, locked with multiple chains. It took Blue several blows to deformate the reinforced door and several others ot fully open it. Inside there was a gem holographic recorder. She switched it on, anxious to discover if her doubts about White were lies or the truth. There was White Diamond, apparently waiting for someone. When the someone White was waiting for arrived and White didn't try to shatter her, in that same moment Blue knew that White wasn't an assassin. She was way worse than that. She was somenone who prefered to make someone else kill, to not have her hands dirty . The someone White was waiting for was Rose Quartz. Blue stood there, watching as the holo-White Diamond told to the holo-Rose Quartz how to shatter Pink Diamond. Her ipothetical hearth warmed up a tiny bit when she saw that Rose Quartz didn't want to shatter Pink, but she knew before that at the end she would have accepted. As she did. When the projection ended Blue Diamond didn't know what to say, what to think, what to DO. So she simply stood there until…

Until a familiar voice awakened her "Good show, Blue. It's always good to watch and rewatch my greatest victories" White Diamond greeted her

"YOU MONSTER!" Blue Diamond said, throwing herself at White's gem. Only to find herself blocked in mid air

"Calm down, Blue. Here, take a seat" White said, summoning a chair that locked Blue as soon as she was on it "Et-voilà. Isn't it better to talk like civilized beings?"

"You are much things White. A liar. A murderer. A traitor. But surely not a civilized being"

"Oh, Blue, don't be so mad at me. I did the right thing and you know it. Leaders have to make though decisions"

"I didn't know that those decisions included shattering my daughter!"

"Blue, Blue, Blue. You know I had to do it. She would have brought the entire authority on the edge of shattering. And after all it's not something can change. If you watching that holo projection would have changed something, you wouldn't be here"

"W-What do you mean?"

"Please, Blue. Do you really think I can be such a fool to leave my darkest secrets unguarded? I think you reputate better my capacities. I know what you wanted to do ever since you asked for your palanquin. So I left you got there. So you won't involve Yellow. _Divide et Impera_. So, let's stop to think about the past. You now have two option. Option one. You leave this palace, never talk about you saw here, stop to grieve about that Pink Defect and behave like nothing happened and everything will go as I planned"

"Never"

"Considerate the alternative first. Option two. You can talk to everyone you want about what you have seen. And someone will suffer"

"Yes, you"

"I'm not talking about me, silly. I'm not the megalomaniac you think I am"

"Your palace is shaped like your head"

"Well, yes, but… Nevermind. As i was saying, I have some gems that you wouldn't want shattered. Like this one" White said, pulling Blue Pearl's gem out of her sleeve "I keep it since after the trial, knowing how much you like her"

"What? Impossible! And the..."

"Do you mean the pearl that told me you were coming here? My spy in your court since months? I can call her here right now. Pearl?"

Blue Pearl made her entrance, an evil smirk on her face. As she advanced towards the two diamonds she began to change. Her body color started to modify, becoming white and her gem became white, too. When the change finally happened, it was clear that she was a white pearl, like Pink's.

"But..."

"I created her. Do you like her? My best spy"

"Pleased to be considered like that, My Diamond"

"Do you really think that the menace of having my pearl shattered will stop me? I thought you were way smarter, White"

"I didn't think so. In fact, before, I said gems and not gem. I can show you exactly who I am talking about. Pearl?"

"Yes, My Diamond" The pearl started to project an immage of Yellow Diamond

"Don't even think about even touching her, you-" Blue Diamond was blocked by an electric shock coming from her seat

"Tsk, tsk. I suggest you to calm down. I know that your poor Yellow is emotionally destroyed. You don't want to destroy her also physically, Don't you?"

Blue lowered her glare "I'll take option one"

"Good, good. Now all you have to do is smile and wave and I'll take care of everything. After all, it's not like you are something more than a little pawn, dancing to my puppet's strings. Just like everyone else"

 **A/N: Just watched "Legs from here to Homeworld". WHAT THE FUCK? That episode was more mind-blowing than "A Single Pale Rose" and "Reunited" put together! But, for the fanfiction's sake I'll have to precise something, because I don't want people pestering me in the comments. In this fanfiction White Diamond doesn't know about Rose being Pink. So, don't hate me and have fun! Fanfics Imperator out!**


	17. Chapter 17: Kidnapped

Chapter 17: Kidnapped

Homeworld, Somewhere deep, deep down the Kindergarten

Apatite was running, a light blue gem in her floating fingers, gem's dust on her suit. She couldn't believe at what was happening!

One hour before

"Matron?! I'm home" A little off-colored Lapis Lazuli made her entrance in the technician mansion. Normally in such a situation every normal apatite would had stood up and asked humbly what a powerful and lustrous gem like a Lapis Lazuli would want in her humble house. But that Apatite wasn't a normal apatite. She was Apatite facet 2F5L cut 8XB, honored kindergartener and palanquin technician, protected by Blue and Yellow Diamond, personal friend of the great Peridot facet 2F5L cut 5XG. And also the matron of that cute little bun of joy that Lapis Lazuli facet 0X0X cut 0XX, also known as "Stardust"

"How was the terraforming lesson today sweetheart?"

"I-it was fine" the little gem whispered, a little tear coming from her eye

Hearing her beloved daughter crying Apatite came to her and hugged her "What happened?"

"The other Lapis made fun of me, saying I'm not a real Lapis Lazuli, because I don't have water powers and so… I got angry and I summoned my powers..."

Apatite had seen her daughter angry before and her powers weren't pleasant… for the gem that made her angry. One time a particular strict Agate slapped Apatite, because of Stardust and just some seconds later the Agate was impaled several times by ice spikes

"Ssssh. It will be fine. It's okay not being okay. Like Peridot always says "The things that are different a gem different are the important ones""

"But the head Lapis said-"

"Don't care about that awful gem. Why don't we descuss it over a cup of shockolyte? I just obtained a tiny bit of your favorite kind with a friend's help. And then I'll tell you a story of one special gem of my creche and you know who I'm referring to"

The little gem instantly cheered up and Apatite went to the little kitchen. As she was warming up the condeseded light, the doorbell ringed

"Typical" she mumbled "Stardust, sweetheart, could you please go and open the door?"

"Yes, matron"

When the door opened, Apatite heard a familiar buzz. She ran towards the door, but the only thing she could see was her daughter's gem falling to the ground and a cubic zirconia with a destabiizer in her hand who was picking up Stardust's gem. Apatite's vision was blurred by the rage and she picked up the first tool she could pick up and launched herself to the white gem, stabbing her in her back. Unfortunately for the burocrat gem that tool was a laser precision scalpel and it was aimed right into her gem, that was shattered with almost no resistance. For a second Apatite remained silent and unmoved, as the gem shards fell to the ground. Then she realized what she have done and she panicked. There is only one gem that can help me, she thought.

One hour later

"Blue! Blue!" Apatite screamed, running for her life. The shattering robinoids behind her were faster than her and when she found herself in a corner of the kindergarten she realized that she had no chanches. She turned to face her shattering fighting, but she saw only the gem she was searching for and two peridots.

"Here you are, Apatite. When I heard about White Dement's decision I came to your district to save Stardust, but I found only some cubic zirconia's shards. You defended yourself well."

"Thanks, Blue Zircon. Which decision are you talking about?"

"All the slightly off-color gems that before were allowed to exist have to shattered."

"T-Thant means that..."

"Yes, she has overthrowed Blue Diamond. I don't know how she blackmailed her, but she had"

"B-but so..."

"You and Stardust can't live on Homeworld anymore. Don't worry, we'll arrange something. I contacted some of Blue Diamond's more loyal gems and they too think that something weird is happening. We are even arranging an agreement with the Agate of Pink Diamond's human zoo. But for now, we have too much gemlings and not enough space"

"I can do something for the Sindycate while you find some space"

"Exactly what I was thinking about. Tell me, have you ever been on Earth?"

Earth, Prime Kindergarden

"Master Steven? Master Steven, please wake up"

Steven Universe opened his eyes, looked at is watch and then at who awakened him and recognized that particular robinoid.

"Norton? It's 5:00 A.M.! I need to sleep!"

"But master Peridot is missing!"

"Wait, WHAT?"

"I haven't seen her since yesterday and she doesn't answer when I call on her phone or on her communicator. I also tried to find her with the tracker that I hid in her hair, but..."

"Wait, have you hidden a tracker in Peridot's hair?"

"I know it may seems like something a control freak would do, but it's not like I follow her everywhere she goes with cameras and robinoids. Well, not yet. But you have to see what I found where the tracker was"

The robinoid took Steven's hand in an iron grip and pulled him out of the room. After a travel made of pushings they were in Peridot's lab. It was in shambles. Shelves and desks were upside down and chemicals were on the ground because of the broken test tubes and stills: Steven noticed a piece of glass on the ground that had a blue liquid on it. Gem's blood. Probably Peri's.

"Have you find..."

"Shards? Fortunately, no. She haven't been shattered here. Yes, she could have been shattered somewhere else, but if the person who attacked master Peridot wanted to shatter her, her shards would be right here. If my ipotesis is correct, we're facing a kidnapping. I have been activated only two days ago, so I don't know if master Peridot had enemies. You knew her before me, so..."

"Well, I don't think she has enemies but Pearl were angry with Peridot for the robinoids and Peri was having a fight with Garnet"

"Very well, so we have our two first suspected"

Later, Central Room

"I suppose that you're all wondering why I called you here. Everybody except one" said Norton to the gems and the human

"W-what do you mean?" asked Pearl

"This night someone have kidnapped Peridot and because the shield hasn't been deactivated..."

"This only means that one of you kidnapped Peridot" Steven finished, a frown on his face

"Now I have to ask you to return to your rooms and to not exit from them. I and Steven will come to listen what you have to say"

When everybody were out of the room Steven turned to Norton "Why did you say "I and Steven? Am I not a suspected too?"

"My programmation answered to your last question. One: Master Peridot and Master Star always talked well of you. Master Peridot has also your photo in her secret sancta sanctorum"

"She has what?"

"Nothing! And two: my programmation says that I have to obey to and protect three individuals: Master Peridot, Master Star Sapphire and you. If my programmator thought that you were worth of all those measures, that only means that you could never kidnap her"

"Thank you"

"Now follow me" They approached to a wall and Norton summoned an hidden keypad on the wall and put a long code on it, making sure that Steven could see it. A secret door opened and a big room revaeled behind it. There was an enormous computer screen on a wall, sorrounded by several else and on the wall right in front of them an huge shelf full of… Hats?

"What's this?"

"This is the processor's room. There is the physical place where I am. This robinoid is only receiving what I want to say or to do"

"Why are you showing it to me?"

"Protocol. With Master Peridot lost or dead, it's a possibility, remeber it, you are the higher grade able bodied of my masters that is reperible, master Steven. So, for making sure that this room isn't going to be lost, I'm showing you it. And there is another thing too, master Steven"

"Only Steven, thanks. What's it?"

"I needed an… update of outfit"

A little drone took Norton's builder hat away and put it on a empty spot on the shelf. Then a robotic arm took an hat, one like a 1920's detective would wear and placed it on the custom made robinoid's… Head? Body? It was all the same

"Et-voilà, perfect! More appropriated"

"Why do you needed to put an hat, since you haven't..."

"Hairs? Everything that make a human put an hat? Well it's what master Peridot and master Star call AI-Mania syndrome. Every AI as a littler or bigger mania. It could be big weapons, torturing or, like my case, hats. And you can't tell me that isn't a good hat for interrogate some clods"

"Are you sure we're gonna find who kidnapped Peridot?"

"Does deuterium and trizium make elium when they're plasma?"

"...Y-yes?"

"Nevermind. We're gonna find that bastard. And you have to take an hat too. It's showtime."


	18. Chapter 18: Revelations

Chapter 18: Revelations

 **A/N Thanks for the reviews, they're always welcome, but I have three reasons that make me refuse DarkAngelStevenU's request:**

 **1-I don't know whatever Devil May Cry is**

 **2-I'm not really into smut**

 **3-I have already a long term fanfiction in progress, a crossover one that I have to plan and a life to live. Seriously, do you think that I have the time to write** **THREE** **fanfics at the same time? I already spend too much time in front of the computer, but at this point, lets just download my brain into the Internet! Thank you. Enjoy**

The door opened

"Miss Amethyst" said Norton

"Hi N, hi Ste-man, nice hats"

"Miss Amethyst, let's be serious here. I know you didn't do it, you know you didn't do it, but I also know that you saw something that make you nervous. You don't want your friends in trouble, sure, but you're questioning yourself. Am I right?"

"I-I didn't see anything" replied Amethyst, obviously lying

"Please don't take me like a fool, I hate it. So, simply tell us what you have seen and no one will know"

"Do like he says Amethyst, I beg you. It's the only way to find her"

"Fine! Only for 'Dot's sake. Yesterday night I exited from my room and I saw that Garnet and Peri were having a fight. Garnet was asking Peridot to build weapons and Peri answered that she would never build or even design weapons, saying that she had a conscience and she knew that them would be used against innocent gems on Homeworld. Then she entered in the laboratory, Garnet followed her and I returned to my room. Later I saw Garnet return to her room and I thought that she gave up"

"Thank you Amethyst, you've been really helpful" Steven said, exiting from the room. When they were out he said to Norton "I can't believe it! Garnet?"

"It's surely a major clue, but let's not jump to conclusions. It could have been everyone for now. Now I want you to interrogate the others. I have to check up... things"

"Ok, I guess?"

"Thank you very much" Norton thanked him, before running on all his four legs towards the lab. When he was here he immediately checked up the lab archives. Empty. Someone had stolen the blueprints and the prototipe of the Warp Sentinel. Everything confirmed Garnet as the kidnapper, but Norton had something in his programmation that was telling that something was wrong, terribly wrong about that scenario. Something didn't fit. He watched and rewatched the evidence and, when Steven brought him the testimoniances of everyone he looked at them too. Pearl sweared that she was a dear friend of Peridot, which was true Steven assured Norton, and that got angry at Peridot only because she had planned to give them to Peridot as a gift. Garnet said that yes, her and Peridot had one or thirty-seven fights but she was innocent. Connie said that she had slept all night and would have helped, but she knew nothing. Something was still wrong, but Norton couldn't tell what it was. And then all the pieces in his mind fell perfectly into their places.

"Steven?"

"Yes, Norton?"

"Call everyone. I had the illumination I was searching for"

Later, Central Room

"Thanks everyone to be here. I want to tell you that I found the kidnapper"

"And who is it?"

"How did I find out who was it? Interesting question. The clues concerning the case seemed to point in Garnet's direction. But something was strange. Somethong didn't fit. And I discovered exactly what is it. Garnet had no reason to steal the projects, because there were never projects! Why master Peridot should have projected weapons? No, the criminal here is someone else, someone who kidnapped my master for some other reason and stole the files to incriminate Garnet. And I have the evidence under my… hypothetical nose all along. In the lab. Steven, remind me, were the shelves sliced, like Pearl would do with her spear or Amethyst with her whip?"

"N-no?"

"Interesting. Were they crushed like Garnet would do with her gauntlets?"

"No"

"How were they?"

"Upside down, messed up, like they would be after a body-to-body fight"

"But, Steven, why would a gem engage a body-to-body fight with master Peridot, if every gem can summon a weapon? And, even assumed that a stupid enough gem here would decide to do it anyway, how come the lab would be destroyed like there was a long fight, considered the great strength of an Era 1 gem and my master's lack of it? Impossible"

"Unless..."

"Unless the person responsible for the kidnapping of my master isn't at all a gem, but a human. Am I right or am I wrong, Connie?"

Everyone in the room focused on the human. Connie was sweating.

"Yes, I did. I suppose at this point lying is useless" said Connie, pulling something out from a secret pocket an tossing on the floor Peridot's gem, covered with duct tape. Some little robinoids caught the green gem and brought it away

"BUT WHY?!" cried Steven

"She weren't really a Crystal Gem, Steven! Her "Mom" is still loyal to the Diamonds! She was probably tricking you and trying to backstab you when you're less expecting it! I was protecting you, like every knight would do"

"Connie, enough!" this time was Pearl to speak "That's not what a knight would do. You can't simply kidnap or shatter every gem you slightly suspect being a treat! And Peridot is more Crystal Gem than you ever were, you are or you ever will!"

"S-she was trying to take him away from me!"

"What do you mean?" Steven asked quizzically

Everybody stared at him and an awkward silence filled the room

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa." Amethyst broke the silence after something like two minutes "Do you mean you didn't know it?"

"What?"

"Oh, come on dude, it's so obvious that even the psycopath there had got it!"

"Hey!" the said psycopath replied

"Shut up or I'll shut you up. Ste-man, how do I put it, she… has a crush on you!"

Later, Beach House

Steven was awaiting on his bed, Peridot's gem on a pillow. It's been one week since Connie fled away and Peridot hadn't reformed yet. She was surely taking her time.

"She hasn't returned yet, huh?" said Amethyst, who has crept behind Steven, alongside with Star and Pearl

"No"

"The other time we poofed her she returned almost immediatly"

"Maybe she is apporting modifies to her appearence" suggested Pearl "After all, it doesn't make sense for her to have Yellow Diamond's simbol on her"

"I liked her appearence" argued Star

"Wait a second. Now that I think about it, you are an era 1 sapphire, right?"

"Yes, Steven, I am, why?"

"So, why do you still have Yellow Diamond mark?"

"Just becauuuuu..." Star was trying to find an explanation that didn't implied revealing her and Peridot's secret, with little results, but at the last second she was saved by a green glow coming from Peridot's gemstone. Everybody turned to see her and found her reformed. Her appearence was little modified, she just added green triangles on her knees and a big yellow star on her chest, where before the yellow diamonds were.

"W-what happened?" Peridot asked blankly "The last thing I can remeber is someone hitting me from behind and then being stabbed with a piece of glass"

Steven hugged the green gem "I know it. I love you too, Peri"

Meanwhile, Garnet's room

That robinoid was wise, thought Garnet. But not wise enough, she concluded, activating the Warp Sentinel.

Meanwhile, White Diamond's private quarters

"Everything is working out perfectly, am I right or not Pink?" White Diamond said, looking at the pink shards "Oops, my bad, starlight. I forgot that you can't hear me. Grey wasn't right after all, why would a perfect being like me need or even want other diamonds?"

"Well, the more the merrier, am I not right?" someone said

"Who is it?" asked White. She thought she was alone

" _We'll meet again_

 _Don't know where_

 _Don't know when_

 _But I know we'll meet again_

 _Some sunny day"_

A strange chill pervaded White Diamond's gemstone. That song… That couldn't be real! **He** was DEAD! Wasn't he?

"W-who are you?"

"Don't be scared, little diamond, I'm not my owner" said Black Pearl exiting from the darkness. She wore a black suit, with some stains that White Diamond recognized as gem's blood. Her gem was on her navel, inside an huge black diamond simbol, her irides were pure black. The stranger thing, homehow, were her hands and forearms. They were of the deepest black possible and the fingers were like blades. As she spoke she was playing with a gem's shard "I thought that your guards would be more difficult to handle. Returning to business, my diamond isn't of the best possible mood, you peeble, and the reason are you and Grey. But in his patience, he decided that maybe you just need some help, don'tcha?" said the pearl, slowly reducing the shard into dust "My diamond knows everything about your little plan to "take care" of Pink. He said that it was a good plan. But you forgot one little thing"

"What?"

"Can't tell you more, Whity"

"Well, you'll tell more, when I'll catch you and put you on the torture table. Have you ever been shattered slowly?"

Then something White Diamond would never expect happened. The pearl began to chuckle "Whity, Whity, Whity. What a silly peeble that you are. Hasn't someone told you that nightmares aren't real?" And she disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind her only gem's dust

 **A/N: Yup. The same old me again. I only want to ask you something. Not money, don't worry. Do you like Star Wars? If the answer is yes, check my crossover fanfic. If the answer is 'I don't know what Star Wars is', close the computer and watch the saga. Now. If the answer is no, go away. If the answer is 'Star Wars is lame, I prefer Star Trek', same than before. Thank you**


	19. Chapter 19: Aftermaths

Chapter 19: Aftermaths

Steven woke up and went to the fridge to take something to drink. While he was returning to bed, he stopped and he looked at Peridot, who was asleep on the couch. She looked so cute when she was sleeping. But then he realized something. Has Peridot's teeth always been so sharp? He noticed that her fingers were sharper, too, like they were nothing but claws. Just like… Oh, crap.

"Guys!"

"What is it Steven?" said Pearl, bursting in the room, followed by Garnet and Amethyst, everyone with their weapons extracted

"Yeah, what is it Steven?" asked Peridot, sleepily, just woke up by the hybrid's screaming

"Well, I know it's strange, but I think that Peridot is… getting corrupted"

"What? Steven, this is ridicoulus, it would have took at least the power of three diamonds to corrupt gems" argumented Peridot

"Look at your hands"

The green gem did as ordered and froze at the sight "So my theory was right"

"Which theory?" asked Garnet

"Follow me, I can explain everything"

It was a day like the others at the Prime Kindergarden, until the warp pad activated. Norton trotted to greet the visitors, or give a lesson to intruders, followed by Star

"Welcome home, master. Are you all right?"

"Yes, Norton. But I have a request"

"What?"

"I need you to show Garnet, Steven and Star my top secret project"

If Norton had sweat glands he would have sweated "D-do you mean..."

"Yes, show them"

"Show us WHAT?" asked Steven

"Follow me" ordered Norton

They entered in into a wall by a secret wall and, after a short tunnel, they saw her. Jasper.

"Hi, subject J2. How are you?" Norton greeted the beast, that simply growled at him "Like usual, huh?"

"Peri, what's this?" asked Steven

"Well, I may have taken Jasper's gem from her bubble to study the particular kind of corruption that occurred in her and study why she was corrupted, since she wasn't hitten by the corruption attack. I discovered that corruption can be trasmitted, just like any human disease and activated by strong emotions. It seems that I got slightly infected by it and then corrupted a little when Steven… You know what he did" Peridot said, blushing a little in the last part.

"B-but you find a cure, right Peri?"

"Yes, we managed to find a cure, but it doesn't works-"

"What?!"

"-on fully corrupted gems. But in an instance like that it should work" concluded Star "Just follow me, I'm the only one besides Peridot that is able to activate it. Now, here it is, the Forgetter!"

There was a glass dome, with a chair inside it. Connected at the chair some wires exited from the dome and collegated at some machinery. Peridot just entered the dome and sat in the chair. Star began program the machine. Since Peridot knew it would last a bit, she began looking around, looking for possible flaws in the structure of her machine. And then she saw it. The first time she saw it, she wandered how that scratch was made on the dome. Looking it better she recognized what it was, but she couldn't believe it, but it couldn't be, right? Then she considered that was the only reasonble explanation. And she feared what it meant.

"Done" said Star "Now lets activate it. I hope well"

The machine started activated and then… the power turned off

"Blasted machine..." Star mumbled

"What's the problem?" Garnet asked

"The power turned off and I don't know why. I'll have to check the entire blasted machine, damn it"

"Can I stay and help?" Steven asked

"Well, maybe your healing powers will work"

"Call me when it's over" said Garnet, walking away.

Peridot exited from the dome. "She should be far enough..." She muttered

"Peridot? What do you mean?" Star asked

"Matron, do you know the secret language I taught you?"

"Yes?"

"Look at that scratch on the dome"

" _5XG. Don't do it._ But I thought we two were the only ones to know it"

"No, we aren't. Do you remember my room mate at my crechè? I created the language alongside her"

"But that's impossible"

"MASTER! DON'T USE THE MACHINERY!" Norton, followed by twenty robinoids, bursted in the room screaming

"And why Norton?"

"This night someone entered in the structure. Cameras' recording have been deleted, but whoever it was, they used the warp pad. They went to the Beta Kindergarten"

Later, Beta Kindergarten

Steven, Peridot, Norton, Star and a dozen robinoids warped in

"Ok, here's the plan. Norton and the robinoids, you will search the periferical section. Steven, Star and I, we'll search the section where Jasper held prisoner the corrupted gems. Got it?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am" Norton said, then looked at the robinoids "What are you waiting for? Go go go go go go go go!" He and the robinoids run away

"So, who exactly are we searching for"

"My only friend on Homeworld, before I came on Earth. Apatite facet 2F5L cut 8XB"

"Peridot"

"Yes, Matron?"

"I think I found something"

There was an hole, smaller than the others, but deeper. There were footprints entering it. They entered it. After a minute of silent walking, they weren't sure if there was anyone there, they arrived at a door. They pushed it. The inside of the room was really dark. Then a voice came from it

"5-5XG?"

Homeworld, Maybe in the Past, Maybe in the Future

Red Pearl entered in the big, black room. On the floor there was an symbol that she knew too well. Four Diamonds, that together made a bigger diamond. Inside the room, on an enormous black throne the sight of Black Diamond, currently busy with some blueprints, greeted her. The ruler suddenly noticed her presence.

"What's it, Pearl? Is Red in any trouble? Does she need my help?"

"Well, yes and no"

"What do you mean?"

"My Diamond has been shattered"


	20. Chapter 20: Stardust

Chapter 20: Stardust

"5-5XG?" The gem that just spoke was blue, her hair had the same shape of Peridot's, but it was light blue and her gem on her navel was round and smooth. She wore blue limb enhancers and while the arms were a lot similar to Peridot's, the legs, instead of having large feet, were sharp, long and slighly curved spikes, like an half of a crab's claw.

"8XB!" Peridot run into the room and hugged her "What happened?"

"Wait. Where is she?" asked Apatite

"She who?"

"The one that kidnapped me. The fusion"

Star gasped "Wait a second, where is Stardust?Y-you haven't freed her? You've got to go **now!** "

"Let us free you first!"

"No, you don't realize it. If she finds out that I escaped or that I warned you, she's gonna shatter her!"

"Shatter who?"

"I guess I'll have to explain a bunch of things. After you got assigned to your mission to Earth, I instead started working at Raxus Secundus"

"Do you mean the lab world? Lucky you"

"Well, one day it was all going perfectly. Then I started my daily shift"

Some time before, Raxus Secundus

Why she kept being assigned to the shattering device? Apatite thought. Maybe today she wouldn't have to shatter any of the litttle experiments gone wrong. She hoped that the shattering was at least painless. Then a voice awakened her

"Apatite!" Moss Agate screamed

"Yes, supervisor?"

"You probably don't know that today this facility is going to be inspected by an important gem of Yellow Diamond court. The most peculiar things about her is her hate for shattering defects. I need you to shatter this experiment and make the shards disappear. Got it?"

"Yes, you clod" Apatite said, muttering the last part

"What did you say, you worthless technician?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am"

Apatite looked at her supervisor as she walked away and cursed under her breath that sadistic, bootlicker Agate. Well, time to see what she had here. The box had to be opened in every case and watching those monstrous forced fusions that kept being sent to her made her feel less guilty about ending their lives. But what was inside of the box wasn't a forced fusion at all. It was a little Lapis Lazuli. Her gem was on her chest and it was of a very light blue colour, like all her body. She was so cute and innocent… and she had to end her life. The rational part of her was screaming 'Put her in the machine, or else you'll be shattered and then they'll shatter her, you clod!' but she had never been the rational kind of gem. Her rational part and her emotional part kept clashing about what to do, but then happened something that changed the events in a significant way. The little lapis opened her eyes. They were… indescribable. Take a star that for some reason is blue, shatter it, reduce the shards into dust, scatter the dust around a supernova that it's also blue for even more reasons, cristalize the whole thing at the climax of its shine, put at the center a perfectly rounded planetoid made of the purest black diamond and repeat the whole thing at a side and you may have an idea of how her eyes looked like. Maybe they weren't so beautiful or so shining as the narrator here, who's doing an excellent job after all, had just described, but they were like that for the blue technician, that had never moved her sight on a more gorgeous thing. Welp, that's it said her reasonable part I surrender. Just don't whine when Moss Agate will shatter you.

"Who are you?" the little light blue gem asked, her voice as limpid as an ice crystal

"Do not worry, little one. I will help you. Nobody is gonna hurt you"

Then the door opened and Moss Agate entered in the room "-and there is the-" her eyes became wide as a black hole's gravitational field. Well, you jinxed it, her rational part commented.

"What do we have here, Agate?" a sapphire that came alonside her asked "Why such a little Lapis Lazuli is in a shattering room all of her own? You weren't trying to shatter her before I came, weren't you? Because if that it's the case, maybe my paramour could reduce the priority of your researches here. I'm only here to see if this settlement is of any use to the Diamond Authority and report to Yellow Diamond, after all"

"The situation may seems like you said, my clarity. She's only here because, huh..."

Before the agate could create a lie that would bring to Apatite's shattering, something like 'Oh, my stars, she must have kidnapped her', Apatite lied, with a solution that would have saved both her and the little lapis lifes "I'm her matron!"

"What?" the sapphire asked quizzicaly "Wait, I recognize you!"

"Huh?" was the only thing that the agate could say, being as confused as hell

"Wait..." said Apatite "Star Sapphire?"

"And you are the ex-roommate of my daughter, right? I didn't now that you were a matron"

All of a sudden, the little Lapis, that in the mean time had got herself out of the box and was standing beside her new matron leg enhancement, started coughing. Now an explanation of gem biology. Normally gem aren't supposed to do things like coughing, eating or sleeping. Yes they could do those things, amethyst facet 5 cut 8XM is a shining example of it, but they don't need to do those things. But the little lapis' one was a different case. She couldn't stop and she didn't want to start.

"Little one, what's up?" asked Star "Let me see your gem. Oh." Did I say that her gem was perfectly smooth? Well now little web like carvings were all across the surface. Not a good sight, but Star, fortunately knew a possible solution "She's losing her minerals. Agate, I want you to takeall the chemicals you can bring"

"Yes, my clearness"

When the agate was out of ear shot, Star talked to Apatite "You aren't really her matron, aren't you?"

"No. I just… couldn't do my job properly"

"You did the right thing. You're lucky I was around. But this little gemling isn't capable of surviving on her own. And if that agate has a word about it, neither you. So, what if I get you assign somewhere else and make you the matron of this little lapis?"

Apatite didn't really have a choice, she knew it "It'll fine"

"Once more thing. Usually most matrons give nicknames to their daughters. Did you think of anything"

Apatite's thought run at the thing that made her do her decision, the star like eyes of the gemling. Then she thought 'Why I'm doing this?' 'To save her from becoming another pile of dust'

"Stardust"


	21. Chapter 21: Someone goes,someone arrives

Chapter 21: Someone Goes, Someone Arrives

Garnet was drinking an hot cup of her favorite coffe, when the warp pad activated. There was Steven, that sapphire, Peridot and… oh, crap. Apatite

Pearl turned and took out her weapon, quickly followed by Amethyst

"Yes, 5XG, she is the gem that took away my Stardust" said Apatite, pointing one of her floating fingers to Garnet

"Steven? What's happening?" Pearl asked "Who's that gem?"

"Pearl, Amethyst, this is Apatite. She came to Earth to check on Peridot"

"But when I arrived her with my daughter she was poofed, taken by that piece of **** over there and blackmailed me over my own daughter's death if I didn't find a way to stage a fake corruption stage on 5XG, sorry about that however, and modify her machine to erase her memories"

"WHAT?!" the pale gem and the purple one screamed in unison

"How do you justify yourself, Garnet?" Steven asked

"I really hoped I wouldn't ever had to tell you this, Steven. Sometimes a leader has to do though decisions. Peridot had been grown worshipping the diamonds and Homeworld's class system. Yes, she decided that our methodic is better and she fought for Earth, but in the bottom those dogmas still remains. Steven, you're a diamond. Even Pearl was unable to fight the orders of Pink and she has been free for 5 thousands of years. What if one day you give an order to Peridot without knowing or wanting and she would get hurt? Or, even worse, what if she starts to behave differently towards you only because of your gem? Would you start to behave like you're superior to everyone? I couldn't let that happen. The simplest solution was to erase her memories of Homeworld"

Peridot looked at Garnet, marched towards the fusion and only when half a meter separated them she finally spoke "Garnet, well, your motivations are good enough for me and-" While she was speaking she had unfolded the destabilizer that she had behind her back and rapidly stabbed Garnet in the chest "That's for kidnapping my friends, you psychopathic fusion".

When Sapphire's and Ruby's gem fell Peridot quickly caught both of them and, while she put Sapphire's gem into a bubble, she used Ruby's gem for opening the temple door. While she was inside it nobody said a word. Finally she exited from the temple, a tear shaped light blue gem in her hand.

"I suppose she's Stardust, am I right?"

Apatite took the little gem and she hugged it. She nodded. The gem started to glow and began floating. The gem that began forming was similar to the Lapis Steven knew, but she was a little smaller. Her dress was like the one wore by the blue gem we all know, but like her hair and her skin was a very light tone of blue. She also wore a pair of aquamarine colored slippers. The second she reformed, she started coughing. Apatite, knowing what to do, took a needle from her hair and injected the contents in Stardust's arm. The juvenile gem raised her head in shock and summoned a ice blade from her chest gem, nearly piercing Pearl's arm

"Cryokinesis, huh? You surely have an interestin youngling, Apatite" Peridot stated. In the meantime Apatite was searching for something with her eyes. Apatite immediately hugged her tightly "The bad gem isn't more here"

"Did she hurt you, matron?"

"She did, by stealing me the most precious thing in the universe. You" Apatite answered. A glimpse of rage appeared in Stardust's eyes "Where. Is. She?"

"She had been… took care of"

"By who?"

"Do you remeber I had to give a thing to a gem on this planet?"

"Yes?"

"Well, that gem is right behind you"

Stardust turned slowly. And saw Peridot. The blue gem's eyeballs becamethe size of frying pans. Peridot turned her head to see if someone had warped in, then realized that the little gem was surprised of seeing **her.** Stars, has she become such a celebrity on Homeworld?

"Peridot! Facet 2F5L Cut 5XG!"

"Y-yes, that's me,. Only Peridot, however"

Stardust was on the point of screaming "I can't believe I actually manage to meet you! You're my hero!"

Peridot blushed a bit "I didn't really do nothing, I-"

Peridot was harshly interrupted by a violent crash. All Crystal Gems run outside and pointed their weapons to the asteroid-like thing that just created five meters glass spikes in the sand. Then it began to move. It was something like Peridot old robot, still it missed the pilot hatch. It had several hands-like robinoids floating around it. Pearl threw her spear to the robot, that didn't even bother to dodge it. The spear simply vaporised when it was three meters near to its target. Four finger-like things began floating in the front of the mecha, projecting a screen, that soon began displaying a face well known to most of the gems. Some of them had fought her in the war, someone else had been kidnapped by her and someone else had seen her in Homeworld's news. Peridot's Manager.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? The renegade pearl, a runt, the most wanted and well, the only offspring of a diamond shatter in the galaxy, a runaway sapphire, an Apatite, a defective Lapis and the gem that made me lost everything. How has life been, 5XG? Good? For me it has been far worse than bad. But, don't worry, your old boss has always the solution, as you know. You can come and get shattered alongside Rose. Or. You'll fight and everyone here gets shattered. Then, after you watched everyone die, I'll shatter you, slowly, with my own hands"

A little piece of scrap metal shot itself from the sand towards the Manager's machine, being vaporized in mid air by the energy field

"Wrong choice for you, good choice for me. But I suppose you don't like wise decisions, brat" The Manager commented "It's showtime, then".

And then hell began


	22. Chapter 22: Onslaught

Chapter 22: Onslaught

Pearl tried shooting laser shots to the hulking machine, only to receive a shot by a floating hand robinoid that destroyed her physical form. Amethyst run to take the gem of her fallen comrade, but the Manager's attention was elsewere. One claw of the machine triedto take Steven, but was deviated by Peridot's metal powers.

"Annoying little brat" was the only thing that the Manager said, before throwing a whole barrage of plasma balls to the couple. Steven protected them with his shield. In the meantime Amethyst had sent Pearl's gem to the temple for recovering and started sprinting around the bot, creating an huge cloud of sand, trying to blind the Manager. She simply activated the gem vision mod and then she shot at the speeding brat one of her little creations. A lime green energy bubbled Amethyst and started shrinking, destrying the purple's gem physical form. Now the Homeworld gem was ready for taking what she came for.

"SHIELD SYSTEM COMPROMISED" a notification warned the Manager. She turned to see who had dared to hit her and saw the defective Lapis Lazuli, flying in front of her, an ice gauntlet on one of her hands. The light blue gem gave to the Manager a punch on the monitor. She simply took it

"Nice blow." the Manager stated "My turn". With one of the machine's gigantic claws she hit the gemling in the face, not damaging her gem, but sending her at least one hundred feets in the ocean

"NO!" Apatite screamed, shooting a blue plasma ball to the robot. The Manager simply used one of the ausiliary shields of the hand robinoids to block and sent two others to take Apatite, that was too far from Peridot and Steven. Apatite, in the grasp of one of the hand robinoids, tried squirming to get away from the bot, but it was helpless

"I don't even get why you try to resist" the Manager told her, while charging another barrage to shoot to Peridot and Steven "Surrender now and I'll spare you. You'll return to Homeworld"

"The gem you punched before. I'm her matron. She's off-colored. If we return to Homeworld, you know what will happen to her, right?"

A flashback played in the Manager's head.

Ahl, 7000 years before

"Peridot Cut 5XG facet 8P4B, ready for examination" A standard era one Peridot with a white diamond on her jumpsuit made the Diamond salute to her Jade. She was talking with a pearl. Normally most gems wouldn't care about a pearl, but she recognized her. She was Yellow Diamond's pearl.

"As you can see, this Peridot is slightly off-colored" The Jade said, barely paying attention to the green gem "My Diamond ordered me to dispose of her. Why did you asked me?"

"Well, because of that masterpiece that you created, the holographic colonial scouting device"

"Oh, do you mean the device that I invented for my Diamond and was later gifted to yours for the celebration of New Year? I still can't see the connection to my Peridot"

"It activated itself yesterday, revealing some registrations. Of you using that Peridot to create the device"

So her plan, despite all odds had worked.

"WHAT?!" the flabbergasted Jade screamed, then she saw a little grin on the technician's face "YOU! I'm gonna shatter you!"

"My Diamond saw the registrations"

An akward silence fell over the room. The wrath of a Diamond was no thing to be ignored and making fools of the entire Authority was something that surely would unleash it

"W-was she mad?" were the only words that could exit from the Jade's mouth

"Yes. But she was also thrilled to see how a slighty off-colored Peridot could create such an interesting device. So she propose to you a getaway. You give this Peridot to Yellow Diamond and you're safe"

"I accept." the defated Jade said grumbling. Yellow Pearl then took the peridot's hand and gently guided her out of the doorway

"Tell me youngling. Have you ever worked in a kindergarten?"

Present, Beach City

The Manager shoved all thoughts aside.

"I'm sorry, but it's me or you. And I've no intention to lose this oppurtunity"

"Well, time to give you some motives to lose it" A new voice snapped from the sky and then a loud crash could be heard. Lapis picked rapidly Apatite out of the ruins "Are you ok?"

"MAYBE SHE IS. BUT WHEN I'VE FINISHED WITH YOU, THERE WILL BE NEEDANCE OF AT LEAST TWENTY PEARLS TO GATHER YOUR DUST!" the Manager screamed, pushing off debris from her meka. Everibody's eyes widened. The Manager didn't expected so much astonishment and, in fact, she wasn't the source of it. It was an enormous ice hand that emerged from the ocean, with a really pissed off Stardust on the top

"No one touch my matron" Stardust said, and then the ice hand caught the bot and started crushing it. The Manager decided to risk it all and activated the Genocide Mode. An energy aura vaporized the hand and then two robinoids caught Stardust. Apatite jumped to her rescue, but was shoved aside by two more robinoids. The Manager started shooting a barrage of blast to Lapis, who could only dodge some and at last got hit in the chest. The power of the shot sent her an half kilometer back, fortunately for the ocean gem in the sea direction, where she didn't take any damage to her gemstone. Then the Manager to her two targets. She called for some of her robinoids, but no one answered. She turned to see what happened. Stardust hit her with an ice spike. The Manager had enough.

"You know? I had decided to have mercy on you. But you keep getting in my way. Well, no more"

She grabbed Stardust with one claw and started crushing her with the deadly grip. Stardust struggled to free herself, but it was useless.

"Not so cocky now, uh?" Then she saw Peridot, that had extracted her weapon, a metal staff, Steven with her shield and Apatite that had charged a blue plasma shot "Not so fast! Make a move and I'll shatter the Lapis!" The remaining Crystal Gems lowered their weapons "Good, good. Now-" before she could finish her sentence, water chains blocked the robot's limbs. Lapis emerged from an hallway that she opened in the water and summoned an enormous water hand. The Manager activated the Hydra attack mode. Several tentacle like arms with claws exited from the robot and started trapping every gem on the beach. Then, when everyone was blocked and was trying struggling free of her grip, in her moment of triumph a sickening noise could be heard. An enormous ice crystal has impaled the mecha. Behind the robot a very pissed off Stardust stood, 4 floating ice arms at her side. Each one of them had an blade on it, made of the toughest ice possible

"Time to finish the job" Stardust taunted her, then she started punching with the ice arms the robot over and over and over, until it was only a pile of rubble.

"Next time she'll **snow** better that you can't mess with my matron" she said. Then she fainted.


	23. Chapter 23: Blue Gems Stick Together

Chapter 23: Blue Gems Stick Together

Apatite run towards the still figure of her daughter, followed by Peridot and Steven. She knelt near her daughter, tears flowing endlessly from her eyes. She checked her gemstone. It was still in one piece, thanks the stars. But do you remember that I said before that she had little carvings in her gemstone? And they closed when Apatite gave her her medicine? Well, now she had them again. And they were bigger. She had used too much of her power. Apatite reached for her reserve needle. Her hand only found the shattered remains of it

"Oh, stars, it must have been shattered during the battle! What I'm gonna do? What I'm gonna do?" Apatite cried. Star put an hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I have some vital minerals in my gem"

"That's not the point! We cannot put the minerals into her gem without a needle!"

Star pondered their situation for a second. "There is a possibility"

"What?"

"If we can manage to restrain her gem from shattering with a fluid and to create a perfectly shard from the minerals with another fluid, we can merge the two together. This should work"

"But I'm an era 2 gem! I can only manage to manipulate a little amount of a water for a short time! And certainly not with that precision!"

Peridot turned and looked at Lapis, that had crept behind them "L-Lapis?"

Lapis nodded and raised her hand. Two spheres of water floated from the ocean towards the injured gem. "Give me the minerals" Star quickly extracted a box, filled with a powder. She opened it and poured the gem powder into the bubble. Too much of it and the gem shard would have killed Stardust. Not enough and it would all be fruitless. The little grains inside the first sphere started to regroup, while the other one separated Stardust's gem from her body, poofing her in the process. The water recorded the exact shape of the gemstone. Lapis began moving the little grains into the first bubble, assembling a perfect fitting shard. She then moved the bubbles towards each other. This was the most delicate part of all the procedure. The two pieces could be misguided and not fit exactly. This would have caused irrecoverable damage to Stardust's mind. And all that would have needed to happen was a little trembling in Lapis' hands, an imperfection in the copying procedure. But all went smooth. The two bubbles and the two pieces melded together. Then Star, that had been tampering with her destabilizer put it over the two shards. It now heated the two fragments, causing them to meld permanently. She then caught the gem that falling, due to the fact that the heat had vaporized Lapis' water. Apatite run to her and took the gemstone. She started hugging it like her life depended by it. Then she turned to Star, tears of relief in her eyes.

"Star Sapphire, I will never be able to thank you for what you have done for my daughter and me"

Star shrugged "It was nothing, really"

Then Apatite turned to Lapis, too "And you, you have been great! You saved her life!"

Lapis blushed "You're Peridot's friend. It was the least I could do" She tried to change topic "She's one of the most talented lapis lazulis I've ever seen. That trick with the ice… I don't think even I could do something like that!"

Apatite blushed a little and nodded "She's… different. It's more powerful, but more fragile, too. I try to keep her safe, but…" she began tearing up "I'm probably the worst matron ever. I'm sorry to have bothered you" she said as she began to turn. What was she thinking? Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did she bothered everyone!? Why did everything she came in contact became ruined!? It was all her fault! Apatite thought

"No, stop!" Lapis stopped her "I don't think you're a bad matron, at all"

Apatite looked puzzled at her "What? But because of me Stardust got hurt! She nearly died!"

Lapis smiled at her "You worry too much. It's as clear as a crystal that your daughter loves you over all things!"

Apatite was blushing furiously "But… if I can't keep her safe…"

"Bad things happen. You can't do anything about it"

Apatite put up an offended expression "You have an high opinion of me, I guess" she answered sardonically

"No, I didn't mean that you're weak! I was only saying that… how can I put it…"

Star butted in "She's trying to say that you don't have to blame yourself for things you couldn't predict. Look at me. I'm a sapphire. I can literally see the future, for stars' sake! But, even with that ability, my lover got killed. The first years were terrible. I kept telling myself it was my fault. But, with time, I got it. I couldn't change the past. It was written in stone. It happened. However, there was one thing I could do"

Apatite sniffed "W-What?"

"What's the first thing you learned? The motto that unites all technicians and scientists?"

"K-Knowledge is power?"

"Exactly. I knew what had happened. I couldn't change it, but I could learn from it. Change my behavior. Never make the same mistakes again. It wasn't easy. Do you think I don't remember my lover? That I don't miss her? I lost count of the times I lounged for the sweet release of death. Of how many times I looked at the abyss of Homeworld's Kindergarten and I considered that all that it would be needed to finally get rid of my pain" She shook her head "Too many times I hid myself from the world. Those times everything made me suffer. Even Peridot's smile reminded me of her. And it hurt. But you know what Jaundice told me? The past is in the past. Everyone suffers. Everyone makes mistakes. Big ones. Small ones. We can't change it. But the future is fluid. We can change it. We can learn from those mistakes. We can try and never make the same error twice. If you think you can be infallible, you're a fool. A fool that is doomed to repeat the same mistake over and over and over. Real leaders, real paramours, real matrons, real diamonds, real gems, real organics know that they can make mistakes. And they accept that. But they swear to themselves that they can change, that they can do better. That they are better than this. And while I was around, I learned that even diamonds make mistakes. They're not infallible, that's a shame, but they can learn"

"Yeah" Lapis commented "diamonds make mistakes. I'm a living proof of that! Blue Diamond, my matron, brought me on Earth and then, when the war broke out-"

"Your matron is Blue Diamond?" Star and Apatite asked, almost yelling

"Yes, I am"

"Blue Diamond used to talk a bit about you, during our sessions. She missed you"

"Really? That's, good"

Steven barged in "Your matron is Blue Diamond?!"

Lapis smiled at him "Yes she is"

"But how then you got trapped by Jasper? Didn't Star said that Blue Diamond cared about you?"

Lapis winced hearing the J-word, but still answered to Steven "She caught me on my way to Homeworld. She didn't know who I was and I was too scared to tell her, since they judged me as a rebel"

"Could you continue with your story?" Apatite asked

"Yes, yes. As I was saying, when the war broke out I got poofed and an Homeworld gem put me in a mirror, not recognizing me. I couldn't tell them who I was and they thought that I was a rebel. They left me, with my gem cracked and still in the mirror, on Earth while they were evacuating. I remained like that until Steven freed and healed me"

Apatite looked at her with wide eyes "Whoa. That's… a lot! And I thought I was in trouble!" she hugged Lapis "Thanks"

Lapis was now blushing deeply "It… was nothing?"

"It wasn't nothing. You saved me and Stardust before. Now you helped me again. What if I could give you a place to live? There would be other gems and no gems that will try to shatter you!"

"I like the idea. Where's the catch?"

Apatite blushed "You'll have to… cohabit with me?"

Lapis blushed a bit and Peridot and Star gasped. Steven asked Peridot why it was strange

"In gem culture" Peridot explained "Cohabitation is the most intimate and important form of relationship. Most of matrons cohabit"

Steven gasped as well "Like marriage?"

"Basically, yes"

Apatite was now blushing of a shade of blue so dark that Steven didn't know it was existing "I-I mean we would have to use the same apartment because the Syndicate is running low on space and… You know what? Never mind! Stardust and I will just wait for them to find somewhere to put us. You can have the apartment they prepared us" _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Apatite cursed herself _You just have to ruin it all, huh? Now she probably won't talk to you for life! Good job!_

"No, it's no problem" Lapis, blushing a bit while smiling "You seem a pretty good person and your daughter too. After all, you can't be worse as a roommate than Peridot"

"Hey!"

Apatite snorted "Yes, she is a mess!"

"You know I can hear you, right?"

Lapis nuzzled Peridot's hair "We were only making fun of you, Peri"

Peridot tried to remain serious, but failed "Okay, okay, you win Lapis. But before you leave…" she hugged her "Remember me, okay? And sometimes you could come, too"

"Sure thing, P" she returned the hug, then she turned to Steven "Don't think I forgot you!" she warned him as she hugged him too "Stay well, okay, Steven?

While Steven and Lapis said goodbye to each other, a more serious talk was occurring between Peridot and Apatite

"How is the situation going?" Peridot asked Apatite. Apatite made a face. "That bad, huh?"

"Worse. White Diamond overruled Yellow and Blue Diamond. She has no mercy. She has launched an improvise purge. Many of us got shattered while resisting, many others just disappeared. We fear the worse for them"

"Any good news?"

"Yes. We managed to free some important gem like Peridot cut 8GO, Blue Zircon and General Citrine"

"She's alive?"

"Alive and well. She hopes that you are as well"

Peridot chuckled a bit. "That gem is never gonna change, right?"

"Yup. Anyway, back to business, the most of us escaped and hid on old colonies, stolen ships and rebellious space stations"

"Rebellious space stations?"

"Many commanders of Blue and Yellow Diamond understood what White Diamond did. The most loyal to their diamonds didn't accepted it and decided to join our ranks for overthrowing White Diamond"

"That's good!"

"It is, especially now. White Diamond has tightened her grip. All technicians and workers are closed in labor camps. We had to escape"

Peridot growled "Anything else?"

"War between us and the Serpentines broke out again"

"That's good. Something to distract her"

"Oh, I almost forgot" Apatite said as she handled Peridot something. It was shaped like a bi-dimensional diamond and dark green in color. Over every edge there was a light green triangle, oriented like the edge they covered. In the center there was a triangle, resembling very much Peridot's gemstone

"What's this?"

"Oh, right, you've been off scientific progress for a while. That's a Intergalactic Multitool Communicator. Basically it can receive and transmit information. You can send us blueprints, texts, everything. And we can do basically the same thing. It also serves as a multitool device. It has a little laser knife, a scanner, magnetic screwdriver… everything a technician would dream of"

Stars formed in Peridot's eyes "Wow, thanks"

Apatite smiled "I didn't bring limbs enhancers, though. But you don't need them, right, tiny?" Apatite joked and hugged her

"Let me go you, clod!"

Lapis coughed "The only ride to Wherever-You-Are-Directed is departing!"

Apatite chuckled "Oh, my stars. You and Stardust are so going to get along. If you can survive her puns, of course"

"If I were you I wouldn't assume I know **snow** puns on myself"

Apatite rolled her eyes while jumping on Lapis shoulders "Oh, good. Double puns a day. Great."

Lapis snorted while starting flying "I'm liking you more and more"


	24. Chapter 24: Surprise

Chapter 24: Surprise

Several days passed since Apatite and Lapis had left. Steven and Peridot passed those days happily together. Steven took lesson about gem writing and culture from Peridot in the morning. After lunch they sparred with Pearl and in the evening, after Peridot had done some work at the Prime Kindergarden, they would have dinner and then spend some time together, talking and cuddling. The day before that fateful evening had been normal. Peridot had finally managed to defeat Steven in a spar and Steven had made lot of progress in gem writing. They had passed one hour on the beach, watching the stars.

"Can you point again to Homeworld's galaxy?" asked Steven

"Sure" Peridot replied "It's there, right next to that green sphere"

"Oh, here it is. Wait, green sphere?"

Said green sphere landed delicately over the shore and then dissolved, revealing the towering figure of a gem they knew too well.

"5XG. Hybrid." The Manager addressed them "Have you missed me?"

Peridot and Steven rushed to summon their weapons "Not at all, you clod!"

"Normally I would love to crush your hopes of defeating me, but, you see, I'm in a rush" the Manager, unimpressed, replied. She activated her arm cannon "So, I'll give you a chance, hybrid. Give me the traitor and I'll spare you"

"Never"

"Ugh, you are as stubborn as your mother. But unlike her, you cannot defeat me" she shot with her cannon to Steven. He blocked the plasma ball with his shield. But, unseen to him, little metal claws flew behind him and grabbed him on his neck, arms and legs, blocking him and lifting him two meters above the ground.

The Manager smiled with a malicious smirk when she saw Steven's surprised expression "What? Did you think that your traitorous lackey was the only Peridot with electromagnetic powers? Yes, she shouldn't have them. I made a theory on the why, but I have the time nor the will to explain it to you. And, even if I had them, I don't think that you would understand it"

"Drop him off NOW, you CLOD!" Peridot screamed slashing her staff at the Manager. She simply moved laterally and started dodging blow after blow, almost dancing between Peridot's blows. It was crystal clear that it wasn't a fight. She was simply playing with her, like a predator with her prey. Then she blocked the staff with her floating fingers "Tch, tch" she mocked Peridot, shaking one of the fingers of her free hand slowly "I thought you would fight better, 5XG"

"SHUT UP!" Peridot said, breaking her staff free from the Manager's grip and slashing it on her ex-superior's head. She backed off, preparing her next attack

The Manager slowly raised her head. Her visor had a crack over her eye, that started closing immediately. But under the visor, the Manager's eyes were burning of a cold fire of determination and anger "You wanna dance, 5XG? Let's dance" The Manager's limbs enhancers started opening. In no time she was out of them. She was as tall as gemstone started glowing and she extracted two twin swords from it. Then she dashed forward, passing at Peridot's side, leaving Peridot's staff sliced in three pieces. Peridot tried summoning another one, but the Manager was faster. Several times she dashed towards Peridot, every time passing aside, every time leaving after her a wound. Steven tried desperately to break free, but the grip of the metal claws was too strong and he couldn't move his limbs. He started shouting, trying to attract the Crystal Gems attention, but it was too late. The Manager marched slowly towards the injured Peridot.

"Why the shaken expression, 5XG?" She taunted Peridot "You should be happy. You are coming home" and with an unfeeling expression she stabbed Peridot twice in the chest. Peridot's gem fell, but the Manager caught her in a simple fluid move. She reentered her enhancers and she got back in the escape pod she came with. By the time the Crystal Gems, Norton and Star had arrived. But it was too late.

"It had been a pleasure" the Manager mocked them "We should do it again. I think I'm free next month. Goodbye, Crystal Clods!" the pod closed and returned fast towards the sky. The metal claws that were holding Steven fell to the ground. Steven, free from them, tried jumping on the pod, but it had already disappeared. He turned to Pearl "What can we do now?"

Star had already started panicking "She is lost, lost! We cannot take the Manager without a ship!"

Pearl made a knowing smirk "But we have a ship…"

Later, Earth's orbit

A green arm orbited around the Earth, unseen by the humans' primitive sensors. It started preparing for a jump, but then a loud explosion could be heard in the rarefied atmosphere. The green ship turned towards the direction of the shot that had damaged it, ready to blast away the foe. The sight that appeared to the pilot of the ship was flabbergasting. A pink legship, a Diamond Class Dreadnought. After a moment of hesitation the ship prepared to shot back, but it was too late. The pink ship activated its tractor beam and docked the green arm ship. But the occupant of the green ship had a last trick. An escape pod was shot back on the planet. A second after, an explosion shook the green arm shaped ship. The self destruction protocol had begun

 **60**

Steven, the Crystal Gems, Norton and Star run in the corridors. They separated, each one running in different corridors, trying to find their green friend and go back to the ship before it exploded. Steven was running alone in a corridor, shouting at the top of his lungs the name of his lover

 **50**

Steven heard a call. A familiar voice beckoned him "Help! I'm here!"

 **40**

Steven run faster. In no time he found Peridot, closed in a cell. He formed a passage for Peridot, that rushed outside. They started running.

 **30**

Steven shouted for the others.

 **20**

They arrived in the ship's central room. Everybody was there. They run towards the exit

 **10**

They jumped in Pink Diamond's ship, but it was far from over. Steven run towards the command station

 **5**

He activated the motors and rushed away

 **0\. Self Destruct Protocol Initialized. Have a pleasant day**

The explosion was loud and powerful. It was one thousand time biggest than a nuclear bomb's one. Though Pink Diamond's legship was safe from the explosion she was not safe from the shock wave or the the debris that survived the explosion. It first shook the pink ship, making Steven lose control. Then a large chunk of what was the green arm's hull crashed in the ship. It started making its descent on the desert, creating an enormous crater with glass spikes. From the ship relics, a pink bubble exited. Inside there was everybody. Steven was happily hugging Peridot, that awkwardly returned the hug.

"Oh, Peri. I thought I had lost you forever!" Steven cried in her chest. Peridot patted his head

"Calm, Steven, calm"

"Are you alright 'Dot?" Amethyst asked

Peridot nodded "She didn't have time to bring me to Homeworld and I'm her ticket back to her status. She wanted to take me alive"

"Thanks the stars you are safe" Star said, hugging her from behind "Now it's all over, fortunately"

"I'm displeased to correct you, Star" Pearl butted in "But the Manager's pod landed on Earth. She could try to build a ship or steal yours!"

Star pondered a bit "Yes, she is on this planet. But, don't worry Pearl. I disassembled the ship for using its spare parts. And I think that Pink Diamond's legship is a bit too damaged"

Pearl nodded "So she is stuck. Good. Well, there are only two places that have necessary technology to rebuild a spaceship. The old Gem Ships and her Lab. Norton, Star you check the Gem Ships. I, Steven and Amethyst will check the Lab"

Peridot gave her a funny look "Uh, Pearl? You kinda of forgot me"

"I have not forgotten you, Peridot. You will stay at the Prime Kindergarten, where she can't find you"

"I have to negate your statement. She could always try to attack the Prime Kindergarten, and I doubt that the scarce defenses that I built could stop her. And where could I be safer than with the bigger group of you? The group with most of the fighters?"

Pearl nodded "You have a point. But I'm going to keep an eye for you, do not worry"

"Perfect!" Peridot followed Pearl and the others to the warp pad. She hardly repressed a wicked, triumphing grin. _Everything is going according to my plan._

Some minutes later

Pearl, Amethyst, Steven, Amethyst and Peridot stepped off the warp pad. They were in the middle of a luscious rain forest. In front of them, a cave. Inside the cave, only darkness. Peridot and Pearl summoned light from their gems. They walked inside. After ten minutes of walking in a dark tunnel, they found themselves at a crossroad.

Pearl spoke first "We should split in two squads. I and Steven will take the tunnel at the right. Peridot, Amethyst, you take the other one"

"Wait, why I and Peridot have to be in different teams?" Steven asked

"Well, because the only ones that can project lights are me and her, so we can't be in the same team, or the other one wouldn't have lights. Also, Amethyst's style of combat is offensive and mine is too, so having two offensive styles in a team would leave it exposed to attacks. So she has to go with Amethyst"

"And we don't want you two making out in the tunnels instead of searching Peridot's old boss" Amethyst added

Steven blushed a little and Peridot put an hand on his shoulder "Don't worry Steven. I can handle it. Stars, I told off Yellow Diamond. I can handle my ex-Manager"

Steven smiled "I trust you, Peri"

The two groups started to explore the tunnels. After a while Amethyst found herself in the darkness. It was the matter of a second. The instant before there was light and the second after not.

"C'mon, 'Dot. Turn on your light"

No answer

"Ha ha, very funny Peri"

Still no answered

"C'mon Dot. If you turned on the lights right now, it would really _lighten_ up my mood"

The only answer was a muffled buzz and a faint glow back in the tunnel. Amethyst approached the source, but it continued to keep its distance

"C-c'mon 'Dot! You know that I love pranks, but this it's too much!"

The light stopped. Amethyst continued marching towards what she thought was Peridot. But then suddenly, four metal tentacles blocked her limbs. She struggled to break free, but with no result. The light then started marching slowly towards her

"'Dot! Help me! You've got a sick sense of humor!"

Then, a light right above her turned on. The only thing that Amethyst could see beside the tunnel's walls was a green gem. Holding a gem destabilizer.

"What the-" was the only words that managed to exit Amethyst before that Peridot, in a fluid move jabbed her destabilizer just under the gemstone, catching it with the destabilizer. She bubbled it and stored it in her gem. A large, wicked grin formed on Peridot's face. _One gone. Two to go._


	25. Chapter 25: Betrayal

Chapter 25: Betrayal

Pearl and Steven were exploring the maze of tunnels, without talking, when they saw a green light coming from the end of the tunnel. They nodded to each other and they summoned their weapons, ready to take out the Manager. What they were not expecting was a really frightened Peridot that came towards them running

"Peri?" Steven asked

"Steven! Pearl!" Peridot shouted "Oh, thanks the stars!"

"What happened?" Pearl asked her

"It's the Manager! I turned my back for a second and Amethyst was no longer there! Then I turned and the Manager was there! I started running the hell away and then I found you"

Pearl started running towards the direction Peridot came from, followed by the green gem and Steven. When she found herself at a crossroad she, still not turning, asked Peridot "Which tunnel did you come from?"

Peridot placed an hand on her chin "Hmm. Let me think" then she made an enlightened expression and she snapped her fingers "Oh, right I remember" she dashed towards Pearl and in a fluid move extracted a destabilizer from her hair and stabbed Pearl right in her chest, poofing her immediately. Pearl's gemstone fell to the ground and Peridot picked it up slowly, bubbling it. Then she put it in her gemstone

Steven had been watching the whole scene astonished. What the heck was happening? Peridot simply stood there, her back facing Steven.

The hybrid broke the silence "Peri? What's happening?"

Peridot turned, a murderous and slightly maniacal grin on her lips. She inclined slightly her head at a side and looked at Steven with an amused expression "You haven't guessed it yet? Wow. You must be a bigger clod than I expected"

"Peridot?"

"I've never been a part of you, ridiculous Crystal Clods. Seriously. Did you really think that if I wanted to contact My Diamond I couldn't have contacted her with the communication hub? I've been just playing a part"

"A-a part?"

"It was just an act. My Diamond and I agreed that I needed to gain your trust, so I let me be captured and revealed you of the Cluster. Then on the Moonbase I made sure that you saw the diamond communicator. Then I staged a fake argument about how 'On the Earth there are things that are worth protecting'. And the funniest thing? You fell for it, you clods! Pathetic. But it wasn't enough. So My Diamond sent the Manager at the perfect moment. It tightened our 'bond'. I even arranged for my matron to come to reveal you a fake 'plot'. Then we discovered Pink Diamond's secret. I have to admit that I didn't accounted for such revelation. Who would have thought that a Diamond would commit such treasonous acts?" she shrugged and then looked at Steven with a malicious smirk "After all, seems like that even Diamonds can be useless defects. I have one right in front of me"

Steven looked at Peridot with an expression that was hurt beyond comparison "P-Peridot? But-"

"You were going to say if I truly felt anything for you, weren't you?" the green gem answered, putting an hand under Steven's chin and lifting his head, making him look in her eyes. Her cold, unfeeling eyes. Hot tears started pouring from Steven's eyes, running all the way down his face. It was all the answer that he needed. He summoned his shield and sent Peridot ten yards back. She immediately rose up to her feet, facing him. She extracted her staff and made a motions with her fingers, as to say "Come and get it"

Steven threw his shield to the green gem, who simply stopped it mid-air with her magnetic powers. "Seriously. Did you really think that would be-" she started mocking him, but she was stopped by an uppercut straight in her face. She looked at him with a look that was a mixture of disappointed, angry and mildly amused "I gave you a chance to die painlessly. Welp. I can say to My Diamond that I tried to capture you. At least I can have the pleasure end your sorry existence"

Peridot clicked something on her staff and a blade emerge from each end. She started to make it spin, first slowly then faster and she sprinted towards Steven, trying to slice his flesh. He parred with his shield and for a good five minutes with Peridot continuing to try to wound Steven, each blow faster, each blow stronger than the one that came before. Steven was panting heavily, but he was only tipping into his enhanced resistance. Peridot, though, had stricter restrictions in terms of stamina, so she knew that she had to finish the duel fast. So she decided to make her enemy lose focus.

She started walking circles around Steven "You know, when all this will end with your defeat and when I'll return your mother's gemstone I will be handsomely rewarded. I will become as important as my Manager. I will have my own Pearl! I can figure myself, looking from above those Agates and Ambers that before thought I was only a mindless drone bowing to me and helping me to choose my own pearl. I will have a personalized pearl, one that reflects all of desires" an evil flash lighted her eyes "No, I have an even better idea! I will take your pearl! It will be fun, forcing her into submission. It won't be easy, but in some years it will be done. After all, pain is an excellent teacher. And all the difficulties will be worth something! Only seeing her following me diligently, bowing to me and calling me master, it'll be great!"

Steven lost it. He threw his shield to her in anger. Just as she wanted. She jumped on the incoming disc and she sprinted again towards Steven, but this time, instead of passing at a side, she charged right towards Steven, one of the blades aimed towards his heart. Steven raised quickly his shield and the clashing of the two weapons roared in the caves, making the walls tremble for a second and raising the dust that covered the floor, making impossible for anyone to see who was the winner of that hit. The dust slowly deposited itself on the ground again. Steven's shield had taken the blow, but Peridot's blade had pierced the shield, emerging for a good two inches from the interior surface of the shield. More than enough for what the green gem planned. The blade split in four and a sonic shockwave sent Steven against a wall. Steven's head hit the wall, causing him to lose concentration and the shield to dissipate. Peridot didn't miss this chance and outstretched her arm towards Steven with a triumphing smile, throwing four half bracelets made of steel towards the hybrid. Each of them pinned one of his limbs to the wall. Steven tried struggling to get free, but to no avail. Peridot advanced towards the blocked Crystal Gem, putting her staff back in her gemstone and extracting from it a tool resembling a scalpel.

"Do you like it? I personally designed it. It extracts gemstones with the higher precision possible. Of course you won't survive the operation, but is not as it is important, isn't it?

Steven moved his glare to meet Peridot's one, but when he looked to her face, he saw something… strange. Her facial expressions were still cold, focused and uncaring, but her eyes… her eyes were scared, like they were translated from the face of someone that was scared of losing someone they loved. But it wasn't just that. From the corners of the eyes came two unstoppable flows of tears. One of Peridot's hands went on her cheek and when they felt the tear that was there, a feral, furious grin appeared on Peridot's face and the eyes returned cold and angry. She muttered something under her breath. "Shards. How that runt managed to…" She stood still for a second and then she fell on the ground, her limbs starting to move in all directions, an arm trying to extract her gem out of her body, the other one blocking it. It was like there were two Peridots, sharing the same gem. Steven had an illumination. What if… no, she couldn't have done **that,** right?

There was only a way to discover it. He started pounding his head on the wall behind him. With every hit his vision became dizzier. His ears started to ring. It was more difficult to focus. Then a shadow darkened his vision. He was passing out.

"I'm coming" Steven managed to mutter before losing consciousness


	26. Chapter 26: Her Side

Chapter 26: Her Side

Some Hours Before, Cell A4, Peridot Cut 5XG Facet 8P4B

Peridot's gem rose up and the green gem reformed, her appearance unchanged. She quickly checked her surroundings. Apparently she was in a standard cell. Three walls were made of a solid alloy, resistant to the highest temperatures and pressures. She would have needed a laser cannon of a warship to destroy them. The front wall was a destabilizing field that, using the same technology of a destabilizer, disrupted the gems' physical forms, preventing them to exit from the cell and, if they tried to cross the barrier with their whole body, poofing them. But it was the gem standing on the other side of the barrier that caught her her attention.

The Manager raised an eyebrow. "It was about time that you reformed, little brat"

Peridot made a low growl, but she knew that thanks to the barrier, the Manager was safe from everything she could try. Still she still tried to punch her. She quickly regretted it when her fist got destabilized and she got sent backwards by the shockwave.

"Impulsive as always I see. Well you can see that I've quintupled the standard values the power of the destabilizing field. You should be happy to hear that every time you hit it, the values will increase of another 500 %"

"What do you want? I thought that you would have just shattered me or handed me over to the Diamonds"

"What? I've just taken you here to have a nice chat about how to better betray My Diamond, Homeworld and everything I stand for" she mocked her. Then she returned serious "Back to business. Did you really think that you would be enough to bring me back my status? You just inspired an insurrection. No, to have the status to achieve my goals I need not only you, but Rose Quartz's little hybrid and what's left of her pathetic, little rebellion. Yes, I could drop you on Homeworld and return on Earth to take the rest. But, even if they gave me a platoon of Quartzes, the chances of taking them in a fight are only of the 10 % and they would have their guards up, so it would be even more improbable to lure them into a trap"

"So what! Do you plan to use me as a bait? An hostage to exchange for Steven?"

"The chance that they would fall into a trap, even with you as a bait, are of the 20 % and, even if they traded their leader for a peridot, the hybrid had shown a certain level of skill in escaping and returning on Earth. And him escaping another time would take to my shattering. But don't worry. I've designed a perfect strategy. Based on the analysis of his behavior. It seems like he really cares about interpersonal relationships and mutual trust. Well, what would happen if someone betrayed him? Someone he thought he had fully converted to his side?"

Peridot understood what she meant "I'll _**NEVER**_ betray him! No matter what you'll do or promise to me!"

The Manager looked disappointed. "It's a shame. Well, it doesn't matter. You'll betray him willingly or unwillingly"

Peridot looked confused as hell "What do-" But she never had time to finish her sentence. Four robotic tentacles sprang from the walls and blocked her limbs. A strange looking machine appeared at the Manager's side. It had an antenna connected to a box. From the box came a wire, connected to a glass cylinder. The Manager stepped inside of the glass cylinder, a remote in her hand. She pushed some buttons and the barrier deactivated. Then she turned a knob and whispered "Let's hope it works" then, more confident, to Peridot "Do not worry, 5XG. It will be painless. For me". A ray hit Peridot and then all became dark.

An undefined amount of time later, MindScape

Peridot opened her eyes. What… what has happened? The details about what happened hit her like a train. She was in a cage. And on the other side… The Manager. But she was not watching at her. Her focus was on a screen. And on the screen…

Amethyst looked in surprise _"_ _What the-"_

Then a destabilizer stabbed her in the chest. Peridot was too shocked to even speak.

The Manager commentated out loud. "One gone. Two to go"

Then she saw Peridot "Ah. You're awake"

"How-"

"How I possessed your body? Simple. With a machine I designed, I had been able to introduce myself in your mind and see all of your memories. Pink Diamond's betrayal was a surprise, that's for sure, but my plan is going smoothly"

"Why are you doing it?! Can't you see how we are threated!? I only want to help gems like us, but it seems like you care too much about your status-" she never finished her sentence, because the Manager, with a look of true hate in her eyes, had landed a punch on her jaw

" **SHUT UP.** So you are the one who cares, clodding clod? Well, who did you think worked six thousands of years to ensure better conditions for technicians creating enhancements and robonoids to give more importance to technicians? Me. Who worked day and night to show the Diamonds that those clods like agates and ambers are wrong, that we are worth a lot more? Always me. ALL YOU HAVE DONE? Oh, yes you put a wrench in my plans. Calling Yellow Diamond a clod almost nullified two thousands years of work. But you did worse. You persuaded those poor technicians on Ahl to revolt, while you were safe on Earth. What did you think the Diamonds would have done? It was obvious that they would have taken action. Don't you get what it means?"

"N-no…" Peridot knew what it mean, but the only thought terrorized her

"IT'S. YOUR. FAULT. Every shattering is your fault. Every worsening in the peridots' condition?

Your fault. You could have shattered them by your hand and what would it have changed? Nothing. Oh, wait, they would have seen your true face, the face of a ruthless traitor. I can see why you have so much affinity with Pink Diamond's offspring. You and he are both traitors with the mouth full of judgments and useless ideologies. Well, that's not true, now that I think about it. At least Pink Diamond fought on the battlefield instead to send poor idiots to die for her. You are a dishonor not only to the peridots and to your matrons. But to the whole gemkind"

Peridot was astonished. Was it true? Was all her fault?

"Do you want to hear what I thought about you when I read your personal file for the first time? When you were first stationed under me?" the Manager continued "That you had potential. More than me, maybe. You could have been someone like me. We could have reformed it from the inside. We could have created a better future for everyone. But you decided to follow those rebels. I felt disappointed. You think I'm the traitor of our caste? In my eyes, the only one that betrayed those poor gems are. YOU. So shut up and let me do my job"

Peridot was too destroyed by the remorse to reply. It was true. It was her fault. Did she deserve shattering? Yes, she did. She didn't move a muscle when the Manager poofed Pearl. IT. She didn't do anything when the Manager made Steven believe that she had betrayed him. She looked in his eyes and the ache in her chest became so strong that she couldn't think straight. WAS. She didn't do anything when the Manager attacked Steven. ALL. She felt her sins crawling on her back. She didn't do anything when the Manager told horrible things about Pearl's fate. HER.

 _ **FAULT!**_

At that point she was a shadow of herself. She was almost detached from reality, sulking in a corner of her cage. If she had caused so much hate, anger, grief and pain, why should she fight again. It would only worsen her friend's lives. Everybody's life. Steven's life. No, it was better that he thought that she was a traitor than that he saw her in this new light, like she was.

But then something happened. A single shard of a sentence echoed in her head, like somebody that screamed into a metal sphere, the sound gradually more metallic. _You. Won't. Survive._

"NO!" she screamed with all she had. She could be shattered, no she had to be shattered, but Steven? Steven did nothing wrong. He had always been kind and innocent to everyone, he was like that to everybody. Earth could burn. Homeworld could be destroyed. Heck, the whole universe could be annihilated, for what she cared. After all, the universe would be meaningless without her Universe, Steven Universe.

Hot tears flowed from her eyes as she called his name and shook the bars of the cage. Nothing happened. But then… the visual of the screen began to be watery. Both Peridot and the Manager understood what it was. Peridot's tears. The manager turned, hate in her eyes

"STOP"

Peridot didn't

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!"

Peridot didn't

The Manager put an arm through the bars and pulled up Peridot at her eye level "ARE YOU BRAINDEAD?" She smacked her "STOP"

Peridot didn't. In fact, she started to move her limbs in all directions, causing her physical form, outside of the MindScape to fall.

The Manager, snarling, punched her straight in her face "WHERE IS YOUR DIGNITY? I WON'T LET YOU RUIN MY PLANS AGAIN" another slap "I PROMISED TO GIVE REVENGE TO ALL THE GEMS **YOU** SHATTERED!"

Then a blinding light covered everything


	27. Chapter 27: Battle of Heart and Mind

Chapter 27: Battle of Heart and Mind

Steven opened his eyes. What happened? The details hit him like a truck he stood up and the view met all his worst previsions. The Manager was snarling and a faint green aura was glowing around her. Peridot was beside her, in a cage

"Why. Why. Why did you two always ruin my plans!" the Manager screamed, stomping her foot "My plan was going so smoothly!"

"So you were the one who poofed all the others!"

"Well, at this point it's not like I can exactly negate it. At least, when My Diamond will capture you, she'll know that I put up a fight!" she put on a fighting stance. Steven tried to summon his shield. Trying is the key word. They remained like that for some minutes.

Then the Manager growled "So what? Will you just stand there, knowing that you overpower me massively and gloat?"

Steven blushed and rubbed the back of his head "Well… this is awkward. I can't summon my shield"

The Manager looked at him in a puzzled way. Then she realized it "Wait a second. This is your first time, isn't it?"

Steven nodded slowly

The Manager showed a large Chesire cat-like grin "So you don't know anything about your powers, dont'cha? But don't worry, poor thing. For me, little old me, will explain everything to you"

Steven didn't know what reply "Really?"

"Yes! You know, I'm a very honorable gem. I wouldn't fight an untrained gem! So, here's the rules. Do you see my aura?" the green glow increased around her right hand "If my aura break yours..." the green glow took the form of a spear "YOU DIE!" the spear-like energy shot itself towards Steven, that dodged it at the last possible second. The Manager cackled maniacally "Well, traing is finished! Now I'm gonna destroy you!"

Steven tried to conjure his powers, but to no avail. In the meanwhile several globes of energy separated by the Manager's aura and shot themselves towards Steven

A loud "NO!" could be heard. Peridot in a fraction of second destroyed the bars of the cage with an aura she didn't know to have and shielded Steven. The Manager growled "You again!?"

"I can't let you kill him. I. WON'T-" Peridot was cut short when another wave of energy blasts circled the shield and hit her on the back, sending her on her knees, her aura paler.

"Peri! No!" Steven shouted and his aura hit the Manager, sending her back. He didn't care and went to check Peridot "Are you alright, 'Dot?" he asked

Peridot opened her eyes, shrieked and run away behind the cage "P-please, go away. I-I will hold her here, but you need to run!"

"What? No way I'm leaving you here!"

"Y-you'll have to. I-I'm not the gem you think I am!"

"Yes you are. You are a smart, beautiful, resourceful and funny gem. Peridot, you are the one that brought a change into my life. I-I know that I already told you that, but you're the most wonderful gem I've ever met"

Peridot froze for a second, the gave Steven a gentle push away "T-that's not it! I'm not all of those things! I'm an awful monster! Don't you realize it?! All those gems that were shattered… It's **my** fault!"

Steven got closer "I know how that feels. Having a lot of deaths on your conscience"

"T-that's different! You didn't do anything! I killed them!"

"No you didn't. You gave them a dream. They wanted that dream. The diamonds didn't want to allow that. It's not your fault. If it's anything it's the diamonds' one"

"B-but-"

"You have no fault. It's all right. They would have that. No one blamed you. You're not the monster here, if anything, I am. And, after all, many are still alive. You still have time to make up, to make their future better"

Peridot smiled and hugged Steven. A bright light filled the Mindscape

They found themselves back in the real world

And where two stood, there was one

The fusion had two pair of eyes and four arms

Her hair was of a bubblegum pink and really long

Her gems had a pink core, surrounded by a green colour

Her eyes were emerald colored

"What… who am I?"

Peridot's knowledge about gems came to her mind. Watermelon Tourmaline. Yes, that was a fitting name

Then her moment was broken as the Manager threw herself at the fusion with her twin swords. Tourmaline blocked fast with a shield she summoned, but got send back ten yards

"No matter if you are a diamond" the Manager growled "No matter if you're a fusion. I. WILL. BRING REVENGE!"

She attacked like she had with Peridot before, but Tourmaline deflected the blows

Then the fighting became more chaotic

The Manager no longer had the upper hand

And she knew it

But she would have preferred to be shattered than to surrender

Her blows got the strength of desperation

Tourmaline shield held

Tourmaline started attacking, launching her shield

The Manager dodged it, but the fusion made a gesture with her hand

The shield came back and hit the Manager right in the head

She lost concentration

It was Tourmaline's chance. She launched shield after shield to the green gem.

Until a sickening sound resonated in the halls

The Manager looked down at her gem.

A long crack run trough it

Her form glitched for a second.

Then she looked at the fusion, hatred in her eyes

"My time has come, huh, Pink? Isn't it true, runt? Well, I won't go down easily!"

She took a fighting stance and started attacking, but she was slow

She didn't even land a blow

But she didn't surrender

In the end, in great pain, she fell on her knees.

Then, the ground began to shake

"What's happening?" Tourmaline asked, seeing the gallery begin to shake

The Manager analyzed the situation and the realization hit her "The lab is in an unstable zone! This is an earthquake! I'm gonna get crushed if I remain here!"

She attempted to stand up, but she fell right on her gem, wanting to yell her pain, but not wanting to give her enemy the distraction

Tourmaline moved towards her, then stopped and went towards the exit. Then stopped

"Well, if you both agree..." she said to herself

She run towards the Manager and picked her up, receiving some groans of pain, but she ignored it and run towards the direction they came from

It wasn't easy. At all.

Enormous sections of the ceiling came down at once and Tourmaline had to dodge and dodge.

Until…

Until, with the exit just in sight, an huge rock came down on the fusion. She tried to lift it, both with her magnetic powers and with her bare hands, but it was useless. The rock wouldn't even move an inch.

In the meantime, large cracks were forming on the ceiling in front of her. Peridot decided quickly. Steven wouldn't survive underground. She could, however. Yes, it was almost certain she would get shattered by the pressure, but Steven would die. Even if they were in this fusion, he would still need to breathe, drink and eat. So she took the right decision. They defused. Peridot, by her own will, was the one under the rock. That was necessary, because Steven was free. Peridot produced Amethyst's and Pearl's gemstone and threw them at Steven, who caught them up by instinct.

"I'm sorry" Peridot whispered

Steven understood what was going to happen, but before he could do anything, two of the half bracelets that the Manager has before used to trap Steven blocked his hands behind his back, forming a single tight bracelet, and sent him outside of the cave.

Then the boulder above the entrance fell.

 **A/N: I can't believe it. One year. We've come far, my friends. The Emperor thanks you deeply for your support to this fanfiction and promises that it will be more chapters in shorter time. Thank you again and please leave a review**


	28. Chapter 28: Forgiveness

Chapter 28: Forgiveness

Then a bright light in Peridot's face.

The Manager

The light from her gem was flickering and her face was of a sickly pale green

But she held one of her swords in her hands, a stern expression on her face

Peridot knew what was going to happen, hell, it was one of the ways she thought she would die when she pushed Steven away

But the blow never came

Instead the sword fell on the ground

The Manager knelt and started trying to get her out, without results

"Wait what?" Peridot asked

The Manager didn't even looked at her in the face "You know you would have made it outside, if you didn't pick me up?"

"W-well, yes"

"Why? Why after everything I've done to you? Why didn't you leave me die? I thought you would have done that. It's what I wanted you to do"

"What? You wanted to be shattered?"

"I failed My Diamond. I tried everything. I've done things that disgusted me for her. But it was never enough. After one broken record of productivity, there was another. And then another. It was just a matter of time before I would have made a mistake and the elites discarded me. Guess they were right. It wasn't the place of an off-colored peridot to give orders"

"O-off-color?"

The Manager smiled and nodded "I am. Many are. I know a fair amount of gems that fakes of being perfect" her hair shined and became the color of steel "See? I faked. I honestly thought that I could continue being perfect forever. But inside me, I knew that was not going to happen. So I began working twice as hard. I wanted to leave something that would survive me. I wanted to be remembered, not forgot like the ones that fail. I wanted to leave a world where the gems that get work done ruled. I wanted to give my Diamond a truly perfect world"

She laughed

"It was impossible and I knew that. White Diamond would have never allowed that, but I tried anyways, stubbornly. Then you came. You reminded me of myself, as I told you. I wanted you to help me. But you didn't make my own mistake. You understood that my way was useless. And I, in my ignorance, I fought you. Luckily you won."

Then her expression returned serious

"I want to help you. During the time I was on Homeworld, I discovered something. There is a facility deep down the Kindergarten. I don't know what it's in, but I found infos that it exists only in White Diamond's archives. There aren't even gems to guard it, but there are hundreds of shattering robinoids. I don't know where is located, however. Then, my second way of helping you"

She produced something from her gemstone. It looked like a sphere

"This device is a solid light cannon. It should be enough to destroy the boulder you're stuck under and open a way to the surface, if powered"

"If?"

"It uses gemstones to power itself. But I want you to ask you a favor"

"Ask"

"Bubble me and forget about me. You have to be the shining light that will leads all gems. I will only weigh you down. And, most importantly, I think my time has come. Now it's you time to shine. Good luck, 5XG. Help them. Help them all"

She jabbed the spherical device into her physical form, poofing her in the process. Her gems stuck itself on the top. It fell in Peridot's hands and then launched two beams, that atomized the boulder over Peridot and opened a tunnel for her to escape. She picked up the Manager's gemstone and bubbled it, knowing it would stop the cracking. She smiled at it. With a little movement of her hand she sent it to the burning room. Then she headed out


	29. Chapter 29: I'm Sorry, My Love

Chapter 29: I'm Sorry, My Love

What happened after a bright laser beam opened a tunnel was chaotic. Steven thought his lover was dead. She thought she would be, too

She kept her promise. She simply told him that she had a device that tore the hole she passed through. Steven could sense that she was lying about something, but he ignored it

They returned home and waited for the gems to reform. They explained Amethyst and Pearl what happened after they tried to poof Peridot. Life began to flow again like before, as nothing happened.

But something was off. Peridot began skipping training and retiring to the Kindergarden to work on 'something she promised to a friend'. Steven ignored what she meant.

Then one night Steven went to the Kindergarden. Even if he had been there several times, the sight of the luscious forest in the canyons never ceased to amaze him. He waited only for like two minutes then a familiar robonoid appproached him

"Master Steven!" Norton happily greeted him "You have come to visit us? It's very kind of you"

"Hi Norton. I wanted to see how Peridot was doing. Today she skipped our lesson of gem writing and the training. Is she alright?"

"W-well, Mistress Peridot has been working all the way back from last evening"

"WHAT?"

"I-I tried to tell her that it's not a good idea, but she waved me off and said she was only giving some last touches to whatever she is working at. Nor me nor Star Sapphire has been able to get her out of her lab and I'm very worried. But you're here! I'm sure she will come out for you"

"Well, let's get her out! Lead the way"

Norton guided him towards a big bright green sphere that Steven was sure was recently built.

As they arrived, the green gem they were searching for stepped out

She at first didn't notice Steven "Norton! I was just searching for you. I need you to initialize protocol 40"

Norton stopped then said "Yes, Mistress! Master Steven is here for you"

Peridot looked like she had just received a bucket of cold water in the face. Then she put up a large fake smile "Steven! Why here?"

Steven gave her a look "Peridot. I just wanted to see how you were doing"

"Well, I'm doing well! No need to worry!"

"Peridot"

She sighed "Okay, I suppose it's better this way. Follow me. They walked in an plain area of the Kindergarden, where Peridot simply rose her hand in the hair. A little green holographic screen appeared. An opening appeared in the ground when she put her hand on the holoscreen. Out of it came an enormous purple metallic sphere. It trembled slightly and a timer was on it. Peridot wrote something on the screen and it spoke out loud

"Ten Minutes to activation"

"Peridot?"

"Steven. I thought a long time on this. More and more gems will come looking for Earth. The Crystal Gems can't take care of all of them. So I created this. A Field Normalizer. Homeworld use these to keep ships out of certain areas. In this case, the whole Solar System"

"This is great, Peri!" Steven wiped out some imaginary sweat "And I thought you were hiding something bad"

"However..."

"However?"

"I built another thing. Here, follow me."

They entered the structure Peridot came out earlier.

It was dark. Then Peridot flipped a switch

A green roaming eye, with chests of robinoids packed in.

"Why"

"The Manager. She had a point. The shattering of those gem was my fault. Don't even try. It's my fault. Don't worry, I won't change sides. But I do not plan on sitting idly by while gems that take me as a model die"

"What do you mean?" Steven asked, knowing and fearing already the answer

"I'm going to go to Homeworld and help however I can."

Steven didn't know what to say. On one side he was proud of her. It seemed yesterday when she served Homeworld or when she was scared of it, but now she was facing it, taking her responsibilities.

But…

But what if it was too much? What if she was killed? He couldn't even think about it. A world without her… would be pointless. How could he live without her voice? Without her sweet smile? Without her eyes? Without Peridot?

He wouldn't take the chance

But she was right.

He knew that those new rebels needed her. He knew that she needed to go. She would just be unhappy on Earth, knowing that there were people dying for her and she was doing nothing

But he needed her

"I'm coming with you."

Peridot shook her head slowly and sadly "I knew you'd say that. This is why I didn't want to tell you. You can't come"

"And why!?"

"The field normalizer would keep you out of the Solar System and you wouldn't be able to return home. And if we deactivated it, I don't even think it's stable enough to work anymore! And that's not even without talking that you could die! And if you did… if you"

Peridot's eyes filled with tears as her throat grew dry with words

Steven grabbed her and pulled her in a kiss

Then they separated and Steven simply smiled "It's all okay, 'dot. It's all okay"

Peridot calmed down then she remembered something. She had wanted to forget it, but she couldn't.

She could enjoy this moment to its fullest. Her final memory of him, probably

She kissed him, this time. She wrapped her hands around Steven's body and held him tight. Her eyes returned full with tears of sorrow. It was time to go, but she didn't want. Even Diamonds though didn't always had all their wishes fulfilled. She reached slowly for a little syringe. Then, regretting every little movement, she injected the content in Steven's neck

He didn't even felt it

Everything just became dizzy

And then Peridot broke the kiss and made him lie down on the floor.

The last words that Steven heard from his green angel would haunt him down in every dream in the following years

"I'm sorry, my love. I'm doing this for everyone. Everyone but me"


End file.
